Department for Transport

Uber: Greater London

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of Transport for London's dispute with Uber on taxi operators and drivers in other parts of the UK.

Mr John Hayes: The Department has not undertaken any assessment of potential effects resulting from Transport for London’s decision not to renew Uber’s private hire vehicle operator licence. The issue of licensing taxis and private hire vehicles is a matter for local authorities. Nevertheless we have established a working party to consider these matters, which will make recommendations early next year.

Aviation: Zika Virus

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make representations to representatives of the airline sector on the withdrawal of the Zika list for cabin crew who are pregnant or trying to conceive when travelling to countries with that virus.

Mr John Hayes: I have discussed this matter with the Aviation Health Unit within the Medical Department of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) as part of their wider role as specialist adviser to the Government on aviation health issues. The deployment of airline staff is an operational matter for airlines, but I would urge them to take account of WHO guidance and FCO travel advice when making these decisions.

Motorways: Large Goods Vehicles

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to restrict lorries to the inside lane of motorways only; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: The Government has no plans to restrict lorries to the inside lane of motorways.

Invalid Vehicles: Insurance

Sir Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department's response to its consultation on proposed changes to the laws governing powered mobility scooters, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing compulsory third-party insurance cover; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: Users of mobility scooters and powered wheelchairs are not required to take out compulsory third-party insurance cover. However, the Government recommends that users take out a third-party insurance policy. A compulsory insurance regime has the potential to penalize older or disabled people unfairly. There is currently no reliable evidence to show that the use of mobility vehicles creates a major public safety issue.

Motor Vehicles: Registration

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on how many occasions the DVLA has (a) written to or contacted and (b) initiated legal proceedings against sellers of motor vehicles for failing to use form V5C/3 to notify the DVLA of the transfer of a vehicle to a new owner in each of the last five years.

Jesse Norman: Officials have advised that the information requested can only be provided at disproportionate cost. The V5C/3 section of the Registration Certificate is used by a registered keeper to notify the DVLA of the disposal of a vehicle to a motor trader. The DVLA can write to, and take enforcement action against, those who fail to notify disposal of a vehicle. However, over the last five years, more than 32 million people have notified the disposal of a vehicle to the motor trade by submitting a V5C/3 to the DVLA.

Public Transport: Greater London

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the potential future level of overcrowding on London's transport network.

Jesse Norman: Transport in London is devolved to the Mayor of London. Any assessment of future capacity on London’s transport network would be a matter for him to determine.

Shipping: Apprentices

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to double the number of apprentices in the UK maritime sector; and what discussions he has had with employers on such an increase since London International Shipping Week 2017.

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to double the number of officer cadets in the UK shipping industry; and what engagement he has had with employers on that issue since London International Shipping Week 2017.

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to double the number of rating apprentices in the UK shipping industry; and what engagement he has had with employers on that issue since London Shipping Week 2017.

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to double the number of apprentices in the UK ports sector; and what engagement he has had with employers on that issue since London Shipping Week 2017.

Mr John Hayes: Having a skilled workforce is essential to the future of the UK's maritime sector and is an area I am personally committed to. Work is underway in developing a range of maritime apprenticeships which will deliver more routes into maritime training. The increasing number of available apprenticeships coupled with the launch of the apprenticeships booklet during London International Shipping Week (LISW) will help raise awareness and promote the breadth of maritime apprenticeships available. In addition, the introduction of the apprenticeship levy will help stimulate increased demand for maritime apprentices. Increasing training numbers, both through apprenticeships and the cadet training programme, was discussed at the Ministerial roundtable, held at No. 10 and hosted by the Secretary of State for Transport during LISW. Representatives from across the sector, including employers, were in attendance. Since LISW, I have had further discussions on this subject at a meeting with the UK Chamber of Shipping and also at a maritime skills roundtable hosted by Southampton Solent University with academia, trade union and industry representation. Officials have also met with Mersey Maritime and have represented HMG on the Ratings Task Force where increasing the number of apprenticeships were key discussion points. Engagement at both ministerial and official level will continue with industry on both increasing apprenticeship and cadet numbers.

Shipping: Apprentices

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on the time taken in agreeing the standard for a Maritime Caterer Apprenticeship between his Department and the Maritime Trailblazer Working Group.

Mr John Hayes: The maritime caterer apprenticeship standard was discussed as part of a wider apprenticeships discussion when I met the former Skills Minister, the Rt. Hon. Robert Halfon MP, earlier this year. Officials continue to support industry on the development of the standard and a number of meetings have recently taken place with the Merchant Navy Training Board and the Ratings Task Force where it has been discussed. The Department will continue to support the sector in future meetings, including those with the Institute for Apprenticeship.

Merchant Shipping: Training

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many merchant seafarer (a) ratings and (b) officer cadets were trained by employers in the commercial ferry sector in each year since 2009-10.

Mr John Hayes: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) does not collect information in the form requested.

Great Western Railway Line

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the reliability of the bimodal trains being deployed on the Great Western mainline in place of electrification of the line to Swansea.

Paul Maynard: The Intercity Express Programme bi-mode trains are delivering the current timetable and matching High Speed Train journey times. Whilst there are some teething problems as often happens when new fleets are introduced, all parties are working together to resolve the matter and are confident that the IEP bi-mode fleet will operate very reliably . Performance is being monitored by the Department in the usual way.

Motor Vehicles: Registration

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the number of SORN vehicles that remain on public highways after being clamped by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.

Jesse Norman: No estimate has been made on the number of unlicensed vehicles that remain on the public road with a Statutory off Road Notification (SORN) after being clamped by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). However, we expect the majority of these vehicles to have been licensed or moved off the public highway. Any vehicles remaining unlicensed on the public highway risk being clamped again. When a vehicle is clamped by the DVLA for being unlicensed and with a SORN in force the keeper is required to relicense the vehicle or pay a surety in order for the clamp to be removed. If no action is taken, then the vehicle is removed from the public highway to a pound within 72 hours. Local authorities and the police can also clamp and impound unlicensed or abandoned vehicles.

Motor Vehicles: Registration

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to review the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's powers to take action on SORN vehicles left on public highways.

Jesse Norman: There are no current plans to review the Statutory off Road Notification process.

Taxis: Wales

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on that Government's review of taxi licensing laws and its implications for cross-border operations between England and Wales.

Mr John Hayes: Officials from the UK and Welsh Governments are in regular contact on a range of issues. The Welsh Government’s consultation on licensing of the taxi and private hire vehicles closed on 8 September. Once a response is issued an informed discussion of any cross-border implications issues can be held. There have been no recent Ministerial discussions between the Department for Transport and the Welsh Government regarding regulation of this sector, but I will be happy to engage fully with Welsh minster on these issues.

Home Office

Refugees: Children

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment the Government has made of the efficiacy of the transfer protocol for unaccompanied child migrants in the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Brandon Lewis: The National Transfer Scheme has been working well since its launch in July 2016 and has transferred a significant number of unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC) away from local authorities with large numbers of UASC in their care.We are currently reviewing the protocol with input from local government partners and plan to publish an updated version shortly.

Asylum

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many outstanding applications for asylum there were in each of the last 12 months.

Brandon Lewis: The Home Office publishes the number of pending applications for asylum in the quarterly Immigration Statistics release. The latest figures are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-april-to-june-2017Table as_01_q contains the total number of applications, the total number of initial decisions (broken down by decision type), and the total number of cases where a decision is pending, in each quarter.Further information on the outcomes of asylum applications raised in a given year is available in Table as_06.

Human Trafficking

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of cross-border police co-operation with (a) French and (b) other European counterparts in countering human trafficking and people smuggling.

Brandon Lewis: Law enforcement cooperation with French and other European partners is strong and takes place through a variety of activities. We have increased our intelligence sharing and operational cooperation with the French through the establishment of the Joint Centre for Information and Coordination (CCIC) in Calais.Through the Organised Immigration Crime Taskforce, we have deployed officers from the National Crime Agency, Border Force, Immigration Enforcement and Crown Prosecution Service to numerous European countries to work with law enforcement and criminal justice partners on tackling the organised crime groups who facilitate people smuggling. Key to our cooperation with European partners is the intelligence exchange through the European Migrant Smuggling Centre (EMSC), which leads Europol on organised immigration crime.The UK Liaison Bureau at Europol is currently supporting a significant number of cross-border operations on human trafficking focusing on organised crime groups which operate across the UK and other EU countries. In addition to these the UK has used its position as chair of the Europol EMPACT (European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats) group on Trafficking in Human Beings to increase the operational impact of our activity across the EU and in key partner countries.

Refugees: Children

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what data her Department holds on the identities and current whereabouts of children who were living in the Jungle refugee camp in Calais before its demolition.

Brandon Lewis: The primary responsibility for unaccompanied children in France lies with the French government. Following the closure of the Calais Camp, French authorities transferred all children formerly resident to specialist centres across France. It is vital that children claim asylum in France; that is the fastest route to safety.In 2016 the UK transferred over 750 children from France as a result of the Calais camp clearance, and we continue to work with the French authorities to transfer unaccompanied children who may be eligible under the Dublin Regulation or section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016.According to Eurostat data, 63,300 unaccompanied children claimed asylum in the EU in 2016:http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/8016696/3-11052017-AP-EN.pdf/30ca2206-0db9-4076-a681-e069a4bc5290This includes a breakdown of asylum applications by EU Member State.

Refugees: Children

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department has taken to ensure provision of legal assistance for unaccompanied migrant children in the UK.

Brandon Lewis: Unaccompanied asylum seeking children are placed into the care of local authorities and are provided with specialised legal advice and support.The Home Office works closely with the Legal Aid Agency, which administers the legal aid provision, to ensure that there is sufficient legal assistance coverage throughout the UK. In addition, assistance in accessing legal advice is available from the child’s social worker, the Refugee Council Children’s Panel of Advisors for children in England and the Scottish Guardianship Service for children in Scotland.

Visas: Entrepreneurs

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Tier 1 exceptional talent visas for the digital economy were (a) applied for, (b) accepted and (c) rejected in each of the last four years.

Brandon Lewis: The specific information you have requested is not currently published.

Refugees: Children

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to review the eligibility criteria for the Dubs scheme; and whether children who have arrived in Europe after the EU-Turkey deal on 20 March 2016 will be eligible for transfer under that scheme.

Brandon Lewis: The Government is fully committed to transferring 480 unaccompanied children from Europe under section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016 and transfers are ongoing. To be eligible, children must have been present in Europe before 20 March 2016, and it be determined, following individual assessment, that it would be in their best interest to be transferred to the UK.Member States have been asked to prioritise those likely to qualify for refugee status and the most vulnerable. The requirement to be present in Europe before 20 March 2016 has been in place since the passage of section 67 in May 2016, and supports the principle that the scheme should not act as a pull factor for further children to make dangerous journeys to Europe.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Iron and Steel: Port Talbot

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to support the relining of Blast Furnace 5 at Port Talbot steelworks.

Claire Perry: The Government has been working hard with the unions to secure a sustainable future for Tata Steel UK’s 8,200 employees, including those at its Port Talbot primary steelmaking plant. Relining of Blast Furnace 5 is a significant investment, and not a decision which will be taken in the short term. We would expect, however, that joint venture will wish to reflect upon the improved productivity at Port Talbot delivered by the dedicated workforce, and the high demand from the UK’s automotive and construction sectors. We will continue to work with Tata Steel, Thyssenkrupp, the Welsh Government and Trade Unions to support the future of the Port Talbot, including their decision on Blast Furness 5, and the rest of Tata Steel’s UK steel business. I also recently visited Port Talbot steelworks where I received a tour of the facilities, and discussed with Tata and trade union representatives their vision for the future of this iconic site.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Government Property Unit

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 12 October 2017 to Question 105820, if he will make public applications made to the Government property unit to extend or renew their lets in each year since 2012 which were granted with conditions attached to them; and what the conditions were in each case.

Margot James: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has made one application to extend or to renew a lease since 2012. A new lease was agreed from 3 February 2013 for the Ground Floor, The Observatory in Chatham.

Self-employed: Parental Leave

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent estimate he has made of the cost of removing the parental support inequality that exists for self-employed fathers who wish to take parental leave to care for a new-born child.

Margot James: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has not estimated the cost of extending employee rights to parental leave to self-employed fathers.

New Businesses: Bolton

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the (a) number and (b) financial value of start-up loans was for small businesses in (i) Bolton and (ii) Bolton West constituency in the last 12 months.

Margot James: For the 12 month period up to end of March 2017, the Start-up Loans Company granted 28 loans totalling over £333,500 to businesses in Bolton. For the same period, 11 loans were granted totalling over £114,750 to businesses in Bolton West.

New Businesses: Bolton

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what financial support his Department provides to (a) small and (b) start-up businesses in Bolton.

Margot James: We are working hard to support businesses and entrepreneurs across the UK to ensure they can access the finance and wider support to grow and have the right conditions for companies to invest long-term. At Budget 2016 we announced reductions in business rates worth almost £9 billion over the next 5 years, included permanently doubling Small Business Rate Relief and extending the thresholds of the relief ensuring the smallest businesses pay no rates at all. For the 12 month period up to end of March 2017, BBB programmes have facilitated over £6.17m of finance to 76 businesses in Bolton. Within this, the Start-up Loans Company granted 28 loans totalling over £330k.

Science: Investment

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress has been made on creating a roadmap for increasing investment in science to three per cent of gross domestic product in the last 12 months.

Joseph Johnson: This Government has set out its vision to meet R&D investment of 2.4% of GDP within ten years and 3% in the longer-term. We have already increased research and development investment by £4.7 billion over the period 2017-18 to 2020-21. This equates to an extra £2 billion per year by 2020-21 and is an increase of around 20% to total government R&D spending, more than any increase in any parliament since 1979. We will support business to do more R&D and innovation through our industrial strategy by making sure the wider business environment supports R&D investment and ensuring businesses have access to the skilled people they need to do R&D.

Energy: Meters

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with energy suppliers on ensuring that consumers who have smart meters installed are not faced with additional costs when changing supplier.

Richard Harrington: If a consumer with a first generation (SMETS1) smart meter switches to an energy supplier who is not able to maintain their smart service on switching, the consumer will not face any additional costs. Work is currently underway to bring SMETS1 meters into the national communications network, so that consumers can keep their smart services when they switch supplier.

Companies: Ownership

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress has been made by HM Revenue and Customs to pursue companies that have not registered their beneficial ownership with Companies House; and how much has been collected in fines from such companies.

Margot James: Holding answer received on 20 October 2017



Responsibility for pursuing companies that have not filed PSC information rests with Companies House. Over 97% of active companies have filed PSC information.Compliance is Companies House’s primary aim, rather than prosecution. It is taking action to ensure that all companies on the active register report their PSC information. Where companies do not move to comply, Companies House will consider what further action to take. This could lead to investigations being passed to other enforcement agencies who will consider the allegation made and, where appropriate, conduct a criminal investigation, which could lead to prosecution action.

UK Trade with EU

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2017 to Question 105923 on UK Trade with EU; if he will publish those plans for contingency scenarios; and if he will make a statement.

Margot James: As Parliament has agreed, the government will not publish anything that would undermine our ability to negotiate the best deal for the United Kingdom. It is not standard practice to provide an ongoing commentary on internal work that is being carried out within government.

UK Trade with EU

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2017 to Question 105923 on UK Trade with EU; what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on planning to meet those contingency scenarios.

Margot James: Officials in the Department are working with their counterparts in other government departments to develop and inform our scenario planning. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I will continue to work with our colleagues cross Government to prepare for the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.

UK Trade with EU

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2017 to Question 105923 on UK Trade with EU; what cost to the public purse was incurred by developing those plans to meet those contingency scenarios.

Margot James: It is not possible to quantify the specific cost or time spent on contingency plans. This work is a standard part of policy development, as a responsible government prepares for all potential outcomes. As ever, we are committed to spending public money in an efficient, effective and economic manner.

Energy: Billing

Dr  Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what information the Government holds on how many households have been on British Gas, E.on, EDF, Npower, Scottish Power and SSE's standard variable tariffs for (a) five years or more and (b) 10 years or more.

Margot James: Neither the Department nor Ofgem collect data on how long customers have been on specific tariffs.Ofgem have previously published data on the number of customer accounts on standard variable tariffs by company. Data as at November 2016 is shown in the table below.SupplierNumber of customers accounts on standard variable tariffsBritish Gas6,639,000EDF Energy1,943,000E.ON3,170,000Npower1,738,000Scottish Power1,541,000SSE3,864,000 The data is available on Ofgem’s website at:https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications-and-updates/standard-variable-tariff-comparison-28-november-2016

Pregnancy: Redundancy

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the timetable is for the Government's review of redundancy protection for pregnant women and new mothers.

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to paragraph 70 of the Women and Equalities Committee's report of Session 2016-17, Pregnancy and maternity discrimination, HC90, whether he plans to implement a system similar to that used in Germany under which pregnant women and new mothers can be made redundant only in specified circumstances.

Margot James: The Government response to the Women and Equalities Select Committee report said that we would consider further and bring forward proposals to ensure that the protection in place for those who are pregnant or returning from maternity leave is sufficient.Protection already exists through the Maternity and Parental Leave etc Regulations 1999. Where redundancy means that it is not practicable to continue to employ a woman on maternity leave under an existing contract, Regulation 10 requires an employer to offer appropriate alternative employment on terms which are not substantially less favourable. We are considering the implications of extending this right into the period when a new mother returns to work and into the period while she is pregnant and at work. In terms of initial consultation, we have also sought the views of the Alliance for Maternity Rights on other potential measures.

Energy: Debts

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the level of personal debt associated with unpaid energy bills; and if he will make a statement.

Margot James: Holding answer received on 20 October 2017



Figures on levels of personal debt associated with unpaid energy are sourced from the Ofgem report ‘vulnerable consumers in the retail energy market 2017’. Ofgem estimates that in 2016 the proportions of customers in debt for gas by nation were: England: 2.5%, Scotland: 2.7%, and Wales: 2.3%. For electricity the proportions are similar with England: 2.5%, Scotland: 2.5%, and Wales: 2.2%. The average level of debt owed at the point customers started repaying was for gas £622 and for electricity £628.The full report can be found at https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/system/files/docs/2017/10/consumer_vulnerability_report_web.pdfWhen a supplier becomes aware a customer is having difficulties paying their energy bills they are required by license conditions to offer:A means where payment may be deducted at source from benefits received by that customer;Regular instalments paid through a means other than a prepayment meter - taking all reasonable steps to ascertain the customer’s ability to pay.using a prepayment meter, where it is safe and reasonably practicable in all the circumstances of the case for the Domestic Customer to do so, and taking all reasonable steps to ascertain the customer’s ability to pay.

Energy: Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk

John Lamont: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether an estimate has been made of the number of energy customers in Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk constituency who are on (a) standard variable tariffs or (b) a default tariff.

Margot James: The Department collects data from energy companies by public electricity supplier (PES) regions; data is not available by parliamentary constituency. In South Scotland, 64% of gas and electricity customers are estimated to be on variable tariffs.The Department’s methodology to produce estimates of customers on fixed tariffs is reliant on this being explicitly detailed in the tariff name so may not completely identify all tariffs. All tariffs not identified as fixed are assumed to be variable; however, standard variable tariffs cannot be distinguished within these.Data are published in Quarterly Energy Prices tables 2.4.2 and 2.5.2.https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/quarterly-domestic-energy-price-stastics

Fracking: Ryedale

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2017 to Question 106966, on Fracking: Ryedale, on what day that application was received; what the timetable is for a decision to be made; whether he plans to publish an assessment of that application; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Harrington: The application was received on 11 October 2017. There is no set timeframe for considering applications and the Government will respond appropriately in due course.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Written Questions

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to Questions 107373, 107372 and 107371 on cost of energy independent review, for what reasons his Department is not able to answer those Questions within the usual time period; and if he will answer those Questions before Professor Dieter Helm Cost of energy review is published.

Claire Perry: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Fracking

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2017 to Question 107214, on fracking, if he will make it his policy to undertake a public consultation prior to any decision being taken on granting hydraulic fracturing consent; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Harrington: There is no legal requirement to undertake consultation. The Department will respond appropriately in due course.

Civil Nuclear Constabulary: Operation Temperer

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, How many Civil Nuclear Constabulary personnel have been deployed on Operation Temperer in each of the last three years.

Richard Harrington: Operation Temperer was invoked for the first time following the terrorist incident at Manchester Arena in May this year, and then again in September following the terrorist incident at Parsons Green. Civil Nuclear Constabulary personnel were deployed on Operation Temperer on both occasions. The total number of CNC personnel deployed on Operation Temperer this year, including liaison officers, was 826. 432 officers were deployed in May, and 394 officers were deployed in September.

Energy: Housing

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what grants and other financial support are available to help sick and terminally ill people improve home energy efficiency and replace inefficient boilers.

Claire Perry: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Kobe Steel

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to ensure that businesses and consumers across the UK are notified about any safety issues arising from the recent Kobe Steel scandal.

Claire Perry: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Russia: Human Rights

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he plans to implement formal sanctions available to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe under Article 46 of the European Convention on Human Rights, in the event that the Russian Federation continues to disregard the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights.

Sir Alan Duncan: We expect all member states, including Russia, to abide by their obligations and comply with rulings made by the European Court of Human Rights. The UK Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe raised our concerns directly with the Russian Permanent Representative on 11 October, and we will continue to call on Russia to abide by Court judgments. The use of any formal measures, available under Article 46, would be a decision for all member states following detailed discussion. ​

Yukos

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what (a) representations his Department has received from and (b) discussions his Department has had with other Council of Europe member states on the non-payment by the Russian Federation to the former majority shareholders in the Yukos oil company of the 1.9 billion euros in compensation awarded to them by the European Court of Human Rights.

Sir Alan Duncan: We expect all member states, including Russia, to abide by their obligations and comply with rulings made by the European Court of Human Rights. The UK has joined other Council of Europe member states in a debate on the Yukos case within the Committee of Ministers whenever it has been on the agenda. The Committee of Ministers is next due to discuss its supervision of the judgment at its December meeting.

Syria: Political Prisoners

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government plans to take steps to help protect those political prisoners detained in Homs Central Prison in Syria.

Alistair Burt: ​The Government is concerned about reports that the Syrian regime has cut off water and electricity to Homs Central prison and is poised to attack it. We have raised these concerns in the International Syria Support Group Ceasefire Task Force meeting in Geneva and have asked both the UN Special Envoy's office and the International Red Cross to use their good offices to ensure the safety of the prisoners.The Syria resolution passed by the UN Human Rights Council in September 2017, on which the UK led, called for the appropriate international monitoring bodies to be granted access to all detainees, for all parties to the conflict to cease the mistreatment and torture of detainees and demanded the immediate release of all persons arbitrarily detained.

British Indian Ocean Territory: Mauritius

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2017 to Question 105948, on which occasions the Government of Mauritius has made known to the Government its claim that the British Indian Ocean Territory is part of Mauritius.

Sir Alan Duncan: Mauritius amended its Constitution in 1982 to include the Chagos Archipelago (which the UK administers as the British Indian Ocean Territory) within its Territory. The Government of Mauritius repeatedly makes the claim both in public and private that the Chagos Archipelago is part of Mauritius. Most recently Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth made this point during his speech at the UN General Assembly in September. The UK is clear about its sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory and strongly rejects Mauritius' claim that the Territory is part of Mauritius.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Charter of Fundamental Rights (EU)

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, if he will place the assessment undertaken by his Department into the areas in EU law which will comprise the Charter of Fundamental Rights in the Library.

Mr Robin Walker: There are no plans to publish such an assessment. The Charter was not intended to create new rights but rather to catalogue the rights that already existed in EU law. The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill sets out how this underlying law is being converted into UK law at the point we exit the EU. Furthermore, the Charter is not the only source of fundamental rights. Many of the rights protected in the Charter are not only found in EU law but are protected in domestic law and other international instruments, such as the European Convention on Human Rights.For example, the right to protection of personal data (Article 8 of the Charter) is based on provisions in the EU Treaties, the Data Protection Directive (due to be replaced by an EU Regulation) and the respect for private life in Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which is given effect domestically by the Human Rights Act 1998. It is also a general principle of EU law.

European Aviation Safety Agency

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether the European Court of Justice has any remit in relation to the activities of the European Aviation Safety Agency.

Mr Robin Walker: The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) interprets European Union law and is the ultimate arbiter of EU law within the EU and its Member States. The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is an EU regulatory agency and therefore comes under the remit of the CJEU. EASA performs a limited number of executive functions on behalf of the EU, but it’s primary role is to provide technical rulemaking advice for the EU to adopt harmonised safety regulations implemented at national level.

Department for International Development

Developing Countries: Family Planning

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the Prevention of Maternal Death from Unwanted Pregnancy programme, what the difference is between disability life years saved and disability adjusted life years.

Rory Stewart: With reference to the Prevention of Maternal Deaths programme, there is no difference. The World Health Organisation’s official terminology is ‘Disability Adjusted Life Years’. This represents a year of a person’s life saved from living under the burden of poor health and disease.

Africa: Family Planning

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate she has made of the number of Disability Life Years Saved in African countries under her Department's Prevention of Maternal Death from Unwanted Pregnancy programme; and what the financial savings accrued were in each year since 2011.

Rory Stewart: The Prevention of Maternal Deaths programme has averted an estimated 8 million Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs). The financial savings to national health systems since the programme’s inception is an estimated £296 million. The annual breakdown of estimated savings is as follows: Programme Year£, millions savedYear 120Year 230Year 346Year 482Year 556Year 662Grand Total296

Africa: Abortion

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what funding from the public purse her Department has provided to organisations or individuals in African countries who support changes to regulatory policy on abortion services at a national level as part of her Department's programme Prevention of Maternal Death from Unwanted Pregnancies in each year since 2011.

Rory Stewart: The Preventing Maternal Deaths programme aims to increase access to family planning services, give women and girls more control over their lives, and reduce maternal deaths from unsafe abortion. Where national policies on abortion contribute to high levels of maternal death, our programme implementing partners may seek to raise awareness of these issues and support local efforts to achieve reform aimed at saving maternal lives. It is not possible to disaggregate spend on these activities specifically.Since 2011, DFID has provided £99.8 million to the overall PMD programme which works across 17 countries.The annual breakdown of spend is: PMDUP/PMD Spend2011-20128,033,5482012-201311,520,9532013-201416,653,6632014-201521,219,9312015-201617,700,5702016-201716,557,743April 20178,183,445Total99,869,853

Africa: Abortion

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what funding her Department provided for new abortion service delivery sites in African countries as part of the Prevention of Maternal Death from Unwanted Pregnancy programme during 2011 to 2016; and how many new sites were provided in that period.

Rory Stewart: The Preventing Maternal Deaths programme delivers a comprehensive range of reproductive health services. These may include family planning, health education and safe abortion. As the programme takes an integrated approach to family planning, these services are not disaggregated, so funding to support safe abortion cannot be reported on separately.

Commonwealth: Disease Control

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to include tackling global health threats such as malaria as part of its ongoing dialogue with other Commonwealth countries.

Alistair Burt: Discussions with Commonwealth members and other countries on global health threats, including malaria, take place through a number of international bodies such as the World Health Organization, the UN General Assembly, and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.

Developing Countries: Malaria

Mrs Anne-Marie Trevelyan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the effect on economic growth in countries where malaria is endemic.

Alistair Burt: The World Health Organisation estimates that the support provided between 2000 and 2015, including that by the UK Government, resulted in a 6.8 million reduction in deaths globally. These life expectancy gains are valued at US$2.040 billion which, for comparison, equates to 3.6% of the total gross domestic product (GDP) of malaria affected countries in 2015.

Saudi Arabia: Arms Trade

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she has made a recent assessment of the effect of arms sales to Saudi Arabia on development and humanitarian outcomes in Yemen; and if she will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: We welcome the recent judgment by the High Court in favour of the Government on UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia, which underscores the fact that the UK operates one of the most robust export control regimes in the world. We will continue to keep our defence exports under careful review to ensure they meet the rigorous standards of the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria.The UN assesses Yemen to be the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. Nearly 21 million people are in need of humanitarian aid. DFID’s support of £155 million for 2017-8 will feed 1.8 million people for at least a month, and provide 1.7 million people with nutrition support and an expected 1.2 million people with clean water and sanitation. We continue to strongly support the work of the UN’s Special Envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, to end the conflict and bring about peace.

Department for International Development and Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Departmental Coordination

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans the Government has to improve coordination between her Department and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Rory Stewart: Every day UK aid and UK diplomacy are working together to help millions of people and make a powerful and positive statement about Global Britain’s place in the world. The Department for International Development and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office each play their own vital role in Britain’s global leadership to build a safer, healthier, more prosperous world, which protects UK interests.

Yemen: Overseas Aid

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that aid to Yemen reaches those people who need it most; and if she will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The UK is deeply concerned about the humanitarian situation in Yemen. This is why we have increased UK aid to Yemen to £155 million for 2017-18, and have stepped up our work with UN agencies and other partner organisations to make sure that our aid is delivered to people in dire need. We regularly monitor and review our programmes and use independent experts to monitor and verify that food and supplies reach those in need.As pen-holder on Yemen at the UN Security Council, the UK proposed and coordinated a Presidential Statement earlier this year, calling for all parties to recognise the importance of unhindered humanitarian access. The UK is also funding the UN’s Verification and Inspection Mechanism with £1.3 million in 2017-18 to ensure the unimpeded flow of commercial and humanitarian shipments into Yemen, as well as the UN’s Humanitarian Air Service with £1 million this year to support regular humanitarian flights into Yemen.

Department for International Development: Procurement

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many companies supplying goods and services to her Department, or contracted to deliver services on behalf of her Department, have been identified as avoiding their tax liabilities in the UK.

Rory Stewart: DFID’s standard terms and conditions require all suppliers to notify DFID of any occasion of tax non-compliance within 5 working days. No current DFID suppliers have been convicted of a breach of obligations relating to the payment of tax in the UK.

Gaza and West Bank: Schools

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what financial support her Department has provided towards the construction and redevelopment of schools in the West Bank and Gaza since 2010.

Alistair Burt: In December 2011 the UK directly funded 13 schools in Gaza, managed by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency. DFID funded the cost of construction, basic equipment, furniture and supplies for these schools and each school cost on average £1.1 million. In the West Bank, there has been no direct UK bilateral funding for the construction and redevelopment of schools during the referenced period.

Palestinians: Education

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the Memorandum of Understanding between her Department and the Palestinian Authority (PA), signed in 2014, what discussions her Department has had with the PA on the use of funding provided under that Memorandum for the distribution of diaries which include pictures of Abu Jihad and Salah Khalaf by the Fatah youth movement at schools.

Alistair Burt: UK financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority is only used to help pay the salaries of health and education public servants in the West Bank. Only named public servants from a pre-approved EU list are eligible and a robust verification system validates that funds are used for the intended purposes. This enables around 25,000 young Palestinians to get an education, provides up to 3,700 immunisations for children, and around 185,000 medical consultations annually.

Palestinians: Overseas Aid

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the Memorandum of Understanding between her Department and the Palestinian Authority (PA), signed in 2014, what discussions her Department has had with the PA on the use of funding provided under that Memorandum for payments made to the family of Nimr Mahmoud Ahmed Al-Jamal.

Alistair Burt: No UK aid is used for payments to Palestinian prisoners or their families. UK financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority is only used to help to pay the salaries of health and education public servants in the West Bank. Only named public servants from a pre-approved EU list are eligible and a robust verification system validates that funds are used for the intended purposes. The UK government strongly condemns all forms of violence.

Palestinians: Newspaper Press

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the Memorandum of Understanding between her Department and the Palestinian Authority (PA), signed in 2014, what discussions her Department has had with the PA on the use of funding provided under that Memorandum for the publication of the official PA daily newspaper Al-Hayat Al-Jadida.

Alistair Burt: UK financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority is only used to help pay the salaries of health and education public servants in the West Bank. Only named public servants from a pre-approved EU list are eligible and a robust verification system validates that funds are used for the intended purposes. This enables around 25,000 young Palestinians to get an education, provides up to 3,700 immunisations for children, and around 185,000 medical consultations annually.

Department for International Development: Staff

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many climate and environment advisers have been employed by her Department in each of the last 10 years.

Rory Stewart: DFID’s Climate & Environment cadre currently contains 60 advisers.The exact numbers fluctuate during the year as advisers are recruited into or leave the organisation or when existing staff are accredited to the cadre.

Commonwealth Development Corporation: Grants

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will publish projected disbursements by her Department to the Commonwealth Development Corporation in each of the next five years, setting out what percentage of her Department's budget that spending would represent in each case.

Alistair Burt: DFID’s projected investment in CDC to support the delivery of CDC’s five year strategy which runs from 2017 to 2021 is as follows: Financial years2017/182018/192019/202020/2021 -  2021/22Projected DFID investment in CDC (£m)3866838971,134NIL The projected investment in CDC for 2020/21 is indicative. Departmental budgets have yet to be agreed for 2020/21 and 2021/22. DFID’s projected investment as percentage of DFID’s budget is as follows: Financial years2017/182018/192019/20Projected DFID budget (£m)10,37310,75310,481Percentage share4%6%9% As set out in the business case, DFID’s funding to CDC is subject to market conditions and portfolio performance and will not be more than £3.515bn.

Bangladesh: Drinking Water

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent discussions she has had with representatives from (a) WaterAid and (b) other NGOs on efforts to improve access to clean drinking water in Bangladesh.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent discussions she has had with (a) the WHO and (b) NGOs on tackling the spread of waterborne diseases in Bangladesh.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent discussions she has had with representatives from (a) WaterAid and (b) other NGOs on the support required to improve systems of sanitation in Bangladesh.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support improvements in (a) sanitation and (b) access to clean drinking water in Bangladesh.

Alistair Burt: DFID has been delivering improved sanitation, safe water and safer hygiene in homes, schools and clinics in Bangladesh. DFID is providing support in Bangladesh through WaterAid and other UK agencies under the South Asia WASH Results Programme (SAWRP), and through UNICEF. Under both programmes our partners are providing improved sanitation and safe water to communities, sourcing groundwater or suitable surface water alternatives which are free from arsenic contamination. Over the next three years DFID will help 2.3m people get access to improved water and sanitation in Bangladesh. The Rohingya refugee crisis in Cox’s Bazar poses a particular challenge for the spread of waterborne diseases. DFID Bangladesh works closely with partners across sectors of the humanitarian response, including health. WHO and UNICEF are coordinating through the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) cluster, and are carrying out regular, random sampling of water points and sources in the settlement areas. One of the largest cholera vaccination campaigns in the world is underway. The UK is the largest funder of the GAVI alliance, which is providing cholera vaccines for the campaign. As part of our help to the Rohingya, we will provide safe drinking water, emergency latrines and hygiene kits for more than 138,000 people,

Department for Education

Class Sizes

James Frith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average class size was in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in (i) Bury North constituency and (ii) the UK in each of the last seven years.

Nick Gibb: Average class size figures for state-funded schools in England are calculated and published annually in the statistical first releases available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-school-and-pupil-numbers.A national summary of average class sizes for Key Stages 1 and 2 and secondary is in the link to national tables, tables 6a and 6b respectively.A summary at local authority and regional level is only available for Key Stages 1 and 2 and is in the link to local authority and regional tables, table 11.Data is not summarised by parliamentary constituency, but data for each school providing average class sizes for Key Stages 1 and 2, where appropriate, and overall is available via the link to underlying tables for each year then the file ‘…Schools_Classes_UD’. The figures can be filtered by school phase, local authority and parliamentary constituency.A UK figure is not available. As education is a devolved matter, statistics on schools are published separately by the four administrations.

Free School Meals

James Frith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of those eligible for free school meals in (a) Bury North constituency and (b) the UK took up free school meals in each of the last seven years.

James Frith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of children in (a) Bury North constituency and (b) the UK were eligible for free school meals in each year since 2010.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Figures on the number and proportion of children taking a free school meal and those eligible for free school meals are published, for all authorities in England, annually. The figures can be found in the statistical first releases available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-school-and-pupil-numbers.Data are not summarised by parliamentary constituency, but data for each school is available via the link to underlying tables then the file ‘…Schools_Pupils_UD’. The figures can be filtered by school phase and parliamentary constituency.A UK figure is not available. As education is a devolved matter, statistics on schools are published separately by the four administrations.

Education: Travellers

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the statistics on educational participation and attainment by Irish Travellers in the race disparity audit can be broken down for (a) Travellers living in settled accommodation in a mixed community and (b) Travellers living on Traveller-only sites.

Nick Gibb: The Department does not collect information on educational participation and attainment by Irish Travelers broken down by where they live (e.g. in settled accommodation in a mixed community or on traveller-only sites).

Free School Meals

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of those eligible for free school meals in (a) Enfield North constituency, (b) London and (c) the UK took up free school meals in each of the last seven years.

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of children in (a) Enfield North constituency, (b) London and (c) the UK were eligible for free school meals in each year since 2010.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Figures on the number and proportion of children taking a free school meal and those eligible for free school meals are published, for all authorities in England, annually. The figures can be found in the statistical first releases available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-school-and-pupil-numbers.Data are not summarised by parliamentary constituency, but data for each school is available via the link to underlying tables then the file ‘…Schools_Pupils_UD’. The figures can be filtered by school phase and parliamentary constituency.A UK figure is not available. As education is a devolved matter, statistics on schools are published separately by the four administrations.

Class Sizes

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average class size was in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in (i) Enfield North constituency, (ii) London and (iii) the UK in each of then last seven years.

Nick Gibb: Average class size figures for state-funded schools in England are calculated and published annually in the statistical first releases available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-school-and-pupil-numbers.A national summary of average class sizes for Key Stages 1 and 2 and secondary is in the link to national tables, tables 6a and 6b respectively.A summary at local authority and regional level is only available for Key Stages 1 and 2 and is in the link to local authority and regional tables, table 11.Data is not summarised by parliamentary constituency, but data for each school providing average class sizes for Key Stages 1 and 2, where appropriate, and overall is available via the link to underlying tables for each year then the file ‘…Schools_Classes_UD’. The figures can be filtered by school phase, local authority and parliamentary constituency.A UK figure is not available. As education is a devolved matter, statistics on schools are published separately by the four administrations.

Higher Education: Finance

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans for the review of higher education funding and student financing to commence; and if she will make a statement.

Joseph Johnson: Sustainable university funding and student finance are a priority in delivering this government’s objectives on higher education. The government will set out further steps on higher education student financing in due course.

Students: Loans

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the effect on the public finances of lost interest receivable arising from changes to the (a) lower threshold for variable interest rates post-2012 student loans and (b) upper threshold for variable interest rates; and if she will make a statement.

Joseph Johnson: For Plan 2 student loans we have raised both the repayment threshold and raised the thresholds at which variable interest rates apply to borrowers in the repayment phase. Following the threshold change, interest will be charged at RPI for those earning below £25,000 (compared to £21,000 before) and at RPI+3% for those earning above £45,000 (compared to £41,000 before), with interest applied on a sliding scale for those earning between those two thresholds. The effect of the changes to interest rate thresholds will be to reduce the average interest rate applied to graduates’ student loan borrowing, and in turn reduce average repayments across the 30 year life of the loan for many loan borrowers. The impact of this can be seen in changes to the Resource Accounting and Budgeting (RAB) charge, which measures the proportion of loan outlay that we expect not to be repaid when future repayments are valued in present terms. The RAB charge for higher education student loans was estimated to be around 30%. Following all of the changes to the student finance system outlined in the Written Ministerial Statement of 9 October 2017, which include the increase to the lower and upper interest rate thresholds and the increase to the repayment threshold, we estimate this will increase to 40-45%. The cost of the system is a conscious investment in young people. It is the policy subsidy required to make higher education widely available, achieving the Government’s objectives of increasing the skills in the economy and ensuring access to university for all with the potential to benefit.

Students: Finance

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Written Statement of 9 October 2017, on Student finance update, HCWS 145, what estimate her Department has made of changes to the Resource Accounting Budgetary Charge as a result of the changes on policy in that statement.

Joseph Johnson: Holding answer received on 20 October 2017



The current Government estimate of the Resource Accounting Budgetary charge, the proportion of loan outlay that we expect not to be repaid, was around 30%. Following the changes to the student finance system outlined in the Written Ministerial Statement of 9 October 2017, this will increase to 40-45%. The cost of the system is a conscious investment in young people. It is the policy subsidy required to make higher education widely available, achieving the Government’s objectives of increasing the skills in the economy and ensuring access to university for all with the potential to benefit.

Students: Finance

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Written Statement of 9 October 2017, on Student finance update, HCWS 145, what estimate her Department has made of the long-term annual cost to the taxpayer of those policy changes in that statement.

Joseph Johnson: Holding answer received on 20 October 2017



The long-term cost of the student loan system is reflected in the Resource Accounting and Budgeting (RAB) Charge, which estimates the proportion of loan outlay (by value) that is not expected to be repaid. The RAB charge was estimated to be around 30%. Following the changes to the student finance system outlined in the Written Ministerial Statement of 9 October 2017, this is expected to increase to 40-45%. The cost of the system is a conscious investment in young people. It is the policy subsidy required to make higher education widely available, achieving the Government’s objectives of increasing the skills in the economy and ensuring access to university for all with the potential to benefit.

Primary Education: West Sussex

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many state-funded primary schools in West Sussex are rated in the top 250 such schools in England for key stage 2 national curriculum assessment outcomes at level 5 in (a) reading, (b) writing, (c) mathematics and (c) all three of those subjects.

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will publish the level of performance in West Sussex in the 2017 Key Stage 2 results for (a) reading, (b) mathematics and (c) reading, writing and mathematics; and if she will set out that level of performance for all local authorities in England in order of standard.

Nick Gibb: I will write to the Rt hon. Member with the information requested. This answer is delayed due to Department officials quality assuring the information requested.

Education: West Sussex

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to work with West Sussex County Council on improving educational results in that area.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Regional Schools Commissioner for the South East and South London (SESL) and members of his team meet senior officials from West Sussex County Council (WSCC) regularly. Following the publication of the Key Stage 2 (KS2) and Key Stage 4 (KS4) results for 2017 officials challenged WSCC on the poor performance of West Sussex local council (LC) maintained schools at KS2 in particular. Provisional Key Stage 1 data shows that the LC is below the national average in all subject areas. We also asked them to set out their plans to address that performance.SESL officials also examine the performance of academies and academy trusts, and ask them to account for poor performance. Where we have concerns, we may commission experienced Education Advisers to visit individual schools to assess the trust’s capacity to make improvements. Depending on the adviser’s findings we may direct the trust to take specific actions and will continue to monitor progress closely where we have concerns.Officials are working with WSCC to improve the performance of maintained schools and academies in West Sussex in a number of ways. Following their most recent meeting with WSCC, officials will be issuing a joint statement of school improvement principles to the sector to help demonstrate that we are taking a coordinated approach. They are also working with WSCC to develop and coordinate strong and strategic bids for support under the School to School Improvement Fund, building on a project to support maths at KS2 that was supported in the first round.Operationally, officials are in active discussions with WSCC to identify specific schools where an academy solution would be beneficial post KS2 results, and to undertake a programme of joint visits to those schools to encourage them to move to academy status. Officials have also asked WSCC to support multi academy trusts (MAT) looking to deliver school improvement via the MAT Development and Improvement Fund in approaching LC schools to join those MATs and access the available support. This funding is targeted specifically at Achieving Excellence Areas in Arun, Worthing and Crawley.

Pre-school Education

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 20 July 2017 to Question 5580, how many local authorities have (a) requested to disapply the high pass-through requirement and (b) had their application to disapply accepted since 20 July 2017.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Since July 2017, the department has not received any further requests for the Secretary of State’s authorisation to modify the operation of Regulation 22 (the 93% pass-through requirement) for 2017-18.

Schools: Finance

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2017 to Question 105659, how many of the schools in receipt of additional funding to reach their minimum per pupil funding thresholds are (a) primary schools, (b) selective secondary schools and (c) non-selective secondary schools.

Nick Gibb: The national funding formula makes no distinction between types of schools. Regardless of type, it allocates every primary school a minimum of £3,500 per pupil and every secondary school a minimum of £4,800 per pupil. Out of 2,076 schools that attract funding through the minimum per pupil levels, 1,315 are primary schools. Of the 739 secondary schools that receive funding through the minimum per pupil levels, 145 are selective schools. These numbers are calculated as if the national funding formula had been implemented in full in 2017-18, with no transitional arrangements.

Children: Day Care

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to provide a hotline for inquiries from hon. Members to support them with constituency casework relating to childcare policies.

Mr Robert Goodwill: I am delighted to confirm that MPs and their staff can call one of HMRC’s MP-dedicated helplines for assistance with constituents’ childcare service queries. The helpline is available from 9am – 5pm, Monday to Friday.Alternatively, the Childcare Choices website provides information on all government childcare schemes – including Tax-Fee Childcare and 30 hours’ free childcare. It also includes a Childcare Calculator to show families how much support they could receive.

Children: Day Care

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children with both special educational needs and a disability have (a) received a 30 hours free childcare eligibility and (b) had that eligibility code validated.

Mr Robert Goodwill: I am sorry, but the Department for Education does not currently hold this information.On 12 October 2017 we published an ad-hoc statistical release on the number of 30 hours’ codes generated and validated for the autumn term. The statistical first release can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/30-hours-free-childcare-eligibility-codes-issued-and-validated.

Nurseries: Teachers

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many training places were available for nursery teachers in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available; and how many applications were made in each such year for those training places.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Experimental statistics on new entrants to early years initial teacher training can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/initial-teacher-training-trainee-number-census-2016-to-2017.Previous years’ data were collected under different systems and are not comparable over time. We intend to publish experimental statistics on the number of new entrants to Early Years initial teacher training (ITT) in academic year 2017/18 as an annex to the ITT Census Statistical First Release in November 2017.We do not hold published data on applications, and to date we have not published data on allocations.Early years ITT allocations data for 2018/19 will be published for the first time as part of the 2018/19 TSM and ITT allocations publication on 26 October.

Ministry of Justice

Small Claims: Personal Injury

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 20 September 2017 to Question 7819, when he plans to bring forward secondary legislative proposals to increase the small claims limit for (a) road traffic accident-related personal injury claims to £5,000 and (b) all other personal injury claims to £2,000.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The planned increases to the small claims track limit are part of a package of reforms, other elements of which will be taken forward in the legislation which the Government announced in the Queen’s Speech. An announcement as to when the Government intends to bring forward the necessary legislation will be made in due course.

Ministry of Justice: Telephone Services

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many 0345 telephone numbers are in use by his Department; and how much revenue has been generated by each such telephone number in each year since 2010.

Dr Phillip Lee: The MoJ does not have a central repository of this information as the disparate sites and cost centres i.e CRCs, ALBs, are empowered to order services such as these independently. Whilst there may be some 0345 numbers in existence, it should be noted that they are NOT revenue generating numbers. These numbers can actually result in a cost to the MoJ, depending upon their usage and provider conditions. 0345 numbers usually cost no more than a standard landline. The exact amount depends on their provider and may even be “free” i.e. included in their package.

Debt Collection

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to review the effect on households of the 2014 changes to enforcement agents.

Dominic Raab: The Ministry of Justice is finalising a post implementation review of the 2014 bailiff law reforms. We will make a decision on publication in due course.

Personal Independence Payment: Alyn and Deeside

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average waiting time for personal independence payments tribunals in Alyn and Deeside constituency was in each of the last four years.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The volume of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) appeals made to the tribunal has built up since it was introduced as a new benefit in 2013. As the number, and age, of appeals lodged increased so has the average waiting time.Waiting times generally can fluctuate temporarily and geographically, owing to a number of variable factors, including volumes of benefit decisions made locally, availability of medical/disability members, and venue capacity. Any disparity in waiting times is monitored and investigated locally.HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) has been working with the tribunal’s judiciary to identify initiatives with potential to increase the capacity and performance of the tribunal, including reviewing current listing practices to increase the number of PIP cases being able to be listed on a session. We are also in the process of recruiting over 350 judicial office holders to provide long term capacity in the tribunal.The average waiting time for PIP appeals in each of the last four years, in the Alyn and Deeside constituency, is set out below.  The average time (weeks[1]) from receipt in HMCTS to outcome for PIP[2] Appeals Year3Alyn and Deeside42013/1459.82014/1512.52015/16172016/1717 [1] Average Clearance Time - time taken from appeal receipt to outcome. This includes both those cleared at hearing and those cleared without the need for a tribunal hearing.2 Personal Independence Payments (New Claim Appeals), which replaced Disability Living Allowance from 8 April 2013, also includes Personal Independence Claims (Reassessments).3 The table shows information in the financial year April to March.4 First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support) appeals for Alyn and Deeside constituents are heard in the Chester venue.5 There were fewer than five PIP appeals disposed of at the Chester venue in 2013/14 and as such the waiting time may not be representative of average waiting time.Although care is taken when processing and analysing the data, the details are subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale case management system and are the best data available.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reasons waiting times for personal independent payment tribunals have increased over the last four years.

Mr Sam Gyimah: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 23 October 2017.The correct answer should have been:

The volume of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) appeals made to the tribunal has built up since it was introduced as a new benefit in 2013. As the number, and age, of appeals lodged increased so has the average waiting time.Waiting times generally can fluctuate temporarily and geographically, owing to a number of variable factors, including volumes of benefit decisions made locally, availability of medical/disability members, and venue capacity. Any disparity in waiting times is monitored and investigated locally.HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) has been working with the tribunal’s judiciary to identify initiatives with potential to increase the capacity and performance of the tribunal, including reviewing current listing practices to increase the number of PIP cases being able to be listed on a session. We are also in the process of recruiting over 350 judicial office holders to provide long term capacity in the tribunal.The average waiting time for PIP appeals in each of the last four years, in the Alyn and Deeside constituency, is set out below.  The average time (weeks[1]) from receipt in HMCTS to outcome for PIP[2] Appeals Year3Alyn and Deeside42013/1459.82014/1512.52015/16172016/1717 [1] Average Clearance Time - time taken from appeal receipt to outcome. This includes both those cleared at hearing and those cleared without the need for a tribunal hearing.2 Personal Independence Payments (New Claim Appeals), which replaced Disability Living Allowance from 8 April 2013, also includes Personal Independence Claims (Reassessments).3 The table shows information in the financial year April to March.4 First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support) appeals for Alyn and Deeside constituents are heard in the Chester venue.5 There were fewer than five PIP appeals disposed of at the Chester venue in 2013/14 and as such the waiting time may not be representative of average waiting time.Although care is taken when processing and analysing the data, the details are subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale case management system and are the best data available.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The volume of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) appeals made to the tribunal has built up since it was introduced as a new benefit in 2013. As the number, and age, of appeals lodged increased so has the average waiting time.Waiting times generally can fluctuate temporarily and geographically, owing to a number of variable factors, including volumes of benefit decisions made locally, availability of medical/disability members, and venue capacity. Any disparity in waiting times is monitored and investigated locally.HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) has been working with the tribunal’s judiciary to identify initiatives with potential to increase the capacity and performance of the tribunal, including reviewing current listing practices to increase the number of PIP cases being able to be listed on a session. We are also in the process of recruiting over 350 judicial office holders to provide long term capacity in the tribunal.The average waiting time for PIP appeals in each of the last four years, in the Alyn and Deeside constituency, is set out below.  The average time (weeks[1]) from receipt in HMCTS to outcome for PIP[2] Appeals Year3Alyn and Deeside42013/1459.82014/1512.52015/16172016/1717 [1] Average Clearance Time - time taken from appeal receipt to outcome. This includes both those cleared at hearing and those cleared without the need for a tribunal hearing.2 Personal Independence Payments (New Claim Appeals), which replaced Disability Living Allowance from 8 April 2013, also includes Personal Independence Claims (Reassessments).3 The table shows information in the financial year April to March.4 First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support) appeals for Alyn and Deeside constituents are heard in the Chester venue.5 There were fewer than five PIP appeals disposed of at the Chester venue in 2013/14 and as such the waiting time may not be representative of average waiting time.Although care is taken when processing and analysing the data, the details are subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale case management system and are the best data available.

Employment Tribunals Service: Glasgow East

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many employment tribunal claimants there were in Glasgow East constituency in the 12 months (a) before and (b) after the introduction of tribunal fees.

Dominic Raab: HM Courts & Tribunals Service does not centrally collect information on the number of claimants in Glasgow East constituency. Personal data for Employment Tribunal cases are archived 12 months after a case is concluded.

Social Security Benefits: Tribunals

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many claimants have had their tribunal appointment rescheduled due to insufficient time on the day in the last 12 months.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the current average waiting time is for an employment and support allowance tribunal appointment.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the current average waiting time is for rescheduled tribunal appointments.

Dominic Raab: The number of tribunal hearings rescheduled, due to insufficient time on the day, in the last 12 months1, is 1354. This is out of 210937 cases listed, representing less than 1%. The current average waiting time for Employment and Support Allowance appeals is 17.7 weeks2. Information on the current average waiting time for rescheduled tribunal hearings is not held centrally. 1 Last 12 months for which data are available, in line with published statistics: July 16 to June 172 The most recent period for which data are available, the first quarter of the financial year April 2017 to June 2017Although care is taken when processing and analysing the data, the details are subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale case management system and is the best data that is available.

Dangerous Driving: Sentencing

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 1 February 2017 to Question 62091, what the outcome has been of the dangerous driving consultation which closed on 1 February 2017 in respect of sentencing for causing death by dangerous driving.

Dominic Raab: The government response to the consultation was published on Monday 16 October. The response can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/driving-offences-and-penalties-relating-to-causing-death-or-serious-injury

Courts: Chichester

Gillian Keegan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 14 September 2017 to Question 9941, what options are being considered on alternative court provision for Chichester; and what the timetable is for a decision to be made on those options.

Dominic Raab: A range of options are being considered by HMCTS Officials. These include the provision of hearings in Chichester in both local authority and HMCTS owned buildings, and the use of the nearby Havant Justice Centre. It is anticipated that the decision regarding alternative provision for Chichester will be made by the HMCTS Property Board in December.

Personal Independence Payment: Coventry South

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average waiting time for personal independence payment tribunals in Coventry South constituency was in each of the last four years.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average waiting time for income support tribunals in Coventry South constituency was in each of the last four years.

Dominic Raab: The information requested is set out in the table below: Average Clearance Time (Weeks)[1] in weeks HM Tribunals Service to outcome Coventry/Leamington Spa venue2 Year3PIP4Income Support2013/14023.12014/1515.730.92015/1615.629.52016/1715.819.1 [1] Average Clearance Time - time taken from appeal receipt to outcome. This includes both those cleared at hearing and those cleared without the need for a tribunal hearing.2First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support) appeals for Coventry South constituents are heard in the Coventry and Leamington Spa venues.3 The table shows information in the financial year April to March.4 Personal Independence Payments (New Claim Appeals), which replaced Disability Living Allowance from 8 April 2013, also includes Personal Independence Claims (Reassessments). Although care is taken when processing and analysing the data, the details are subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale case management system and are the best data available

Employment Tribunals Service: Coventry South

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many employment tribunal claimants there were in Coventry South constituency in the 12 months (a) before and (b) after the introduction of tribunal fees.

Dominic Raab: HMCTS does not centrally collect information on the number of claimants in the Coventry South constituency. Personal data related to Employment Tribunal cases are archived 12 months after a case is concluded.

Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what guidance his Department has issued to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority on the assessment of victims of trafficking.

Dr Phillip Lee: The Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012 (the Scheme) is a government-funded scheme designed to compensate victims of violent crime in Great Britain.The rules of the Scheme are approved by Parliament; however, the Scheme is administered by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority independently of ministers and Parliament. The Scheme includes residency and nationality requirements for those claiming compensation; however, the Scheme expressly allows this requirement to be waived for recognised victims of human trafficking. The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority is responsible for any guidance to its decision makers relating to the assessment of claims for compensation, including those from victims of trafficking.

Scotland Office

Local Growth Deals: Scottish Borders

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many meetings he has had, with whom and on what dates on the Borderland Growth Deal.

David Mundell: I have met on a number of occasions with the Borderlands Partners, stakeholders and locally elected representatives to progress the Borderlands Growth Deal.My Scotland Office officials continue to engage with UK Government Departments across Whitehall, the Scottish Government and the Borderlands partners to further develop their proposition.

Ministry of Defence

Qatar: European Fighter Aircraft

Leo Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will provide an update on progress on the potential order by Qatar of 24 Typhoon aircraft.

Harriett Baldwin: The discussions with Qatar over the possible purchase of 24 Typhoon and six Hawk aircraft are ongoing following the signature of a Statement of Intent by the Qatari Defence Minister and the UK Defence Secretary on 17 September 2017. Given the commercial nature of these discussions it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.

Hawk Aircraft

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress his Department has made on suitability tests of Advanced Hawk 128 T2 Jet Trainers; and whether he plans to procure further Advanced Hawks for the (a) Royal Air Force Aerobatics Team and (b) rest of the Royal Air Force.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the timetable is for the Hawk TMk1 training aircraft to be taken out of service for the (a) Royal Air Force Aerobatics Team and (b) rest of the Royal Air Force.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Hawk T1 Aircraft and (b) Advanced Hawk 128 T2 Jet Trainers are in use by the Royal Air Force.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will ensure that the Royal Air Force Aeronautics Team always flies in aircraft manufactured in the UK.

Harriett Baldwin: The Hawk T1 aircraft is due to remain in service until 2030. It is currently used by 100 Squadron and 736 Naval Air Squadron for operational training, as well as by the Red Arrows and the RAF Centre of Aviation Medicine. The UK currently has a pool of 75 T1 aircraft from which the Red Arrows and those other units are able to draw. In addition 28 Hawk T2 aircraft are used in a flying training role. Given the number of aircraft currently in service there is no pressing need to make a decision on Red Arrows replacement.Those aircraft providing operational training are planned be replaced from 2027 by the Air Support to Defence Operational Training (ASDOT) programme which is still in the development stage. The nature of fleet management means that although some of the remaining units will incrementally drawdown earlier, sufficient Hawk T1 aircraft will be retained in the pool of available aircraft to support the requirements of the final units until replacement. Consideration will be given to replacing the Hawk T1 with the Red Arrows in due course, but a decision is unlikely to be taken until after the end of this Parliament.

Warships: Costs

Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the annual (a) maintenance, (b) spares, (c) fuel, (d) provision and (e) other running costs of a (i) Type 45 Destroyer, (ii) Type 26 Destroyer, (iii) Landing Platform Helicopter, (iv) Landing Platform Dock, (v) Hunt Class Minehunter and (vi) Astute Class Submarine.

Harriett Baldwin: The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Cyprus: Military Bases

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the effects of acacia clearances in the UK Sovereign Base Area in Cyprus on the illegal trapping of songbirds on the base.

Mark Lancaster: Since November 2014, 61 acres of invasive acacia have been removed from the Special Area of Conservation and land managed by the Ministry of Defence at Cape Pyla, an open area of countryside affected by illegal bird trapping. Birdlife Cyprus has undertaken assessments of bird trapping across the whole of Cyprus, including the Sovereign Base Areas (SBA); but they have not yet published any specific data associated with the removal of this acacia at Cape Pyla. Their next set of estimates will be issued early in 2018 after the present migration season has ended.The SBA Police have separately assessed that up to 40 trappers planted and exploited this acacia at Cape Pyla and, using the Birdlife Cyprus methodology, together with a combination of other measures to counter bird trapping, is resulting in significant numbers of birds being saved. Preliminary assessments from the SBA Police, and noted by various Non-Government Organisations, indicate that bird trapping activity so far during the 2017 autumn migration is lower than in previous years.

Defence: Procurement

Andrew Bowie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure that the planned refresh of the Government's defence industrial policy ensures that the flow of work from prime contractors to UK-based sub-contractors is measured in order to compare and evaluate the relative merits of competing proposals to meet his Department's requirements.

Harriett Baldwin: Our refreshed defence industrial policy will further explain how our investment choices take account of factors contributing to a more dynamic and productive economy, in which the UK defence supply chain plays a crucial part.

Defence

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which defence systems and equipment his Department regards as critical for retaining sovereign defence capability.

Harriett Baldwin: In the National Security through Technology White Paper 2012 (Cm8278) the Government committed to take action to protect our freedom of action and operational advantage where essential for national security. The White Paper describes four general cases in which this is most likely to apply, with examples, including aspects of cryptographic production, deployment and support, and weapons and propulsion systems for the UK's nuclear deterrent. We do not comment on the precise circumstances or aspects of capabilities we might regard as critical on national security grounds.

Army

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of trends in the size of the Army.

Mark Lancaster: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Members for Glasgow North East (Paul Sweeney) and Manchester, Withington (Jeff Smith) to Questions 901305 and 901310.

Veterans: Charities

Johnny Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much Libor funding has been given to charities which support veterans in each of the last five years.

Johnny Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of Libor funding outcomes over the last five years; and whether his Department expects Libor funding for military charities to continue beyond 2018.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Ministry of Defence has distributed on behalf of HM Treasury £266 million of the Libor fund by way of four specific grant programmes. Of these, two legacy grant programmes, the £40 million Veterans Accommodation Fund and the £30 million Aged Veterans Fund, benefited veterans exclusively. The legacy £35 million Armed Forces Covenant Scheme and the open £10 million per annum Covenant Fund also support veterans projects as well as projects supporting other sectors of the Armed Forces community. However, HM Treasury have also distributed £467 million in individual grants to support Armed Forces and Emergency Service charities and other good causes. Veterans’ charities will have benefited but the breakdown will not be available until a full review has been completed in 2018. HM Treasury, which administers the individual Libor grants has asked the Covenant Fund team to undertake a full review of the 729 grants awarded by HM Treasury which will include an assessment on the outcomes and impact. Any decisions on the future of Libor funding is a matter for HM Treasury.

Navy: Amphibious Vehicles

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what representations the Government has made to the Government of (a) Chile and (b) Brazil on the sale of the Royal Navy's Albion-class LPDs.

Harriett Baldwin: No such discussions have taken place.

NATO: Military Exercises

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many UK armed forces personnel participated in the 2017 BALTOPS exercise.

Mark Lancaster: The total number of UK Armed Forces personnel embarked on Exercise BALTIC OPERATIONS 2017 was 216.

Navy: Military Exercises

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many amphibious assault exercises have been conducted by UK armed forces formations in each of the last five years.

Mark Lancaster: The numbers of major amphibious assault exercises that have been conducted by UK Armed Forces formations in each of the last five years are given below: YearNumber of Exercises2017920161320159201411201310 There are a number of minor unit level exercises that are conducted but are not included in this table.

Marines: Staff

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which units of the Royal Marines he plans to reduce in size as a result of reductions in the number of personnel; and what plans he has to reduce the number of personnel in each rank in that organisation in order to achieve that reduction.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to maintain the Royal Navy's surface offloading capability in the event of the withdrawal of specialist amphibious ships.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence is contributing to the Government's National Security Capability Review. That review is focussed on the continued implementation of the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review, and ensuring the United Kingdom's investment in national security capabilities is as joined-up, effective and efficient as possible. No decisions have been made regarding specific capabilities.

HMS Duncan: Belfast

Gavin Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2017 to Question 107311, on HMS Duncan: Belfast, which affiliates the Commanding Officer maintains relationships with.

Mark Lancaster: The Commanding Officer and Logistics Officer oversee the daily management of a unit's relationships, being best placed to determine how these are managed within a ship's programme.HMS DUNCAN's Commanding Officer maintains relationships with the following affiliations:City of BelfastCity of DundeeThe Worshipful Company of SaddlersThe Worshipful Company of CooksThe Scots Guards225 Medical Regt1(F) Sqn RAF (Typhoon)Marine Society and Sea Cadets

Navy: Military Exercises

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost was of the deployment of the UK's Response Force Task Group as part of Operation Cougar in each of the last five years.

Mark Lancaster: Cougar deployments are assessed as core activity so associated costs are not captured separately. This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

*No heading*

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Operation Ruman in providing humanitarian aid to Caribbean islands affected by hurricane Irma.

Mark Lancaster: The military response to Hurricane Irma was swift. RFA Mounts Bay was pre-positioned in the Caribbean; and ships, planes, and helicopters addressed priority issues such as making food, water and shelter available, making critical infrastructure functional and supporting maintenance of law and order where required. The UK Military helped deliver aid to areas otherwise cut-off.

*No heading*

Tom Pursglove: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to encourage innovation in the defence industry.

Stephen Metcalfe: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to encourage innovation in the defence industry.

Harriett Baldwin: With an equipment plan worth £178 billion and a rising defence budget, there are great opportunities for innovative suppliers. We have launched the Defence and Security Accelerator and an £800 million innovation fund to pursue innovative solutions to meet defence requirements.

*No heading*

Preet Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on defence spending.

Sir Michael Fallon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill (Hugh Gaffney).

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many reports of incorrect universal credit awards investigated by HM Revenue and Customs and his Department Jointly Managed Engagement Team have been found attributable to Real Time Information data.

Damian Hinds: Holding answer received on 18 October 2017



We do not hold data relating to the number of cases where incorrect RTI data was found to result in an incorrect Universal Credit award.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many reports of incorrect universal credit awards have been investigated by HM Revenue and Customs and his Department Jointly Managed Engagement Team.

Damian Hinds: Holding answer received on 18 October 2017



The system operated by HMRC and DWP to provide earnings details from employers and automatically include these in Universal Credit calculations is working well. Our internal data for September 2017 shows that only 0.4% of UC customers query the earnings used in their award, and the majority of these queries are resolved by explaining how Universal Credit works.In September 2017, Universal Credit used over 360,000 separate earnings notifications in Universal Credit awards. In that same month just 1347 queries were investigated by DWP with just 238 being referred to HMRC Jointly Managed Engagement Team.

Social Security Benefits: Employment

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to remove restrictions on work-related benefits.

Damian Hinds: Tax Credits and other work related benefits such as JSA are part of the old system that placed restrictions on when people could claim those benefits. Universal Credit has already started to remove these restrictions - it makes it easier for claimants to move into work, and increase their hours of work until they can be financially independent.

Employment: Bury North

James Frith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many women in Bury North constituency born in the 1950s and affected by the change in state pension age have returned to employment from a position of unemployment in each of the last 12 months.

Guy Opperman: The data requested is not held, however the number of older workers in the UK is at a record high, currently there are 10m workers aged 50 years and over. There are 4.2m women aged 50-64 in employment; this compares to 3.5m five years ago. There are 1.2 million individuals in employment aged over 65, of which 39% are women. Employment rates for older workers have also been increasing and have recently reached record highs. In the past ten years, the employment rate for people aged 50-64 has increased by 6.2 percentage points (pp) (from 64.9% in 2007 to 71.1% in 2017). The current employment rate for women aged 50-64 is at a record high of 66.8%. Further information on estimates of employment, unemployment, economic inactivity and other employment-related statistics for the UK can be found in the “UK labour market: September 2017” statistical bulletin published at the Office for National Statistics (ONS) website:https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/bulletins/uklabourmarket/september2017 The Government is committed to supporting people aged 50 years and over to remain in and return to work; the ‘Fuller Working Lives: A Partnership Approach’ strategy was published on 2nd February. This, crucially, is led by employers, but it also sets out the case for action by individuals, and the role of Government in supporting them in planning their careers and their approach to retirement. The Strategy and supporting evidence base are available at the attached web address:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fuller-working-lives-a-partnership-approach Analysis on the headline measures that the government uses to monitor progress on Fuller Working Lives can be found in this statistical release:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/economic-labour-market-status-of-individuals-aged-50-and-over-trends-over-time-september-2017

Department for Work and Pensions: Telephone Services

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many 0345 telephone numbers are in use by his Department; and how much revenue has been generated by each such telephone number in each year since 2010.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) currently has 297 0345 numbers in use and this includes Fax machines, textphone services and also the provision of services in line with legislative requirements. 99% of the calls received by the Department are managed through 60 of the 0345 numbers available. DWP continually monitor activity on all its telephony platform and in the last 12 months have removed 214 0345 numbers from use, where it is safe to do so and without any impact on customers or service delivery DWP does not receive any revenue from 0345 telephone lines.

Universal Credit

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if it will publish the risk register for the roll-out of universal credit.

Damian Hinds: It is not Government’s policy to publish documents of this nature. The Universal Credit programme is already subject to a robust regime of internal and external scrutiny, including oversight from the Work and Pensions Select Committee, the Public Accounts Committee, the National Audit Office and the Infrastructure and Projects Authority.

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information his Department holds on the number of decisions that individual decision-makers have overturned at tribunal in each of the last five years.

Penny Mordaunt: The Department does not hold data on the number of decisions that individual Decision Makers (DMs) have overturned at an appeal tribunal. If an appeal is heard by Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service then an independent legally qualified judge (supported by other panel members) will uphold or overturn the original decision. However the Department does hold data on the total number of lapsed decisions. Regulations allow DMs to review an appeal prior to submission to the tribunal. If the DM makes a revised decision wholly in the claimants favour this is classed as a lapsed appeal and negates the need for consideration by the tribunal. See yearly volumes of lapsed decisions in the table below; 1 April 2014 – 31 March 20151 April 2015 – 31 March 20161 April 2016 – 31 March 20171 April 2017 – 30 June 20174,2759,62012,7604,542  Notes:Data is only available from 1 April 2014. This is due to a change in the Mandatory Reconsideration and Appeals process in October 2013 as part of Appeals Reform. Pre October 2013 data is not comparable to current volumes. Volumes from October 2013 – April 2014 (initial Appeals Reform roll-out) were small volumes and therefore not reflective of normal trend. Universal Credit data is only available from September 2014 Source:Personal Independence Payment Computer System (PIPCS)Disability Living Allowance Computer System (DLACS)Pensions Computer System for Pension Age.Decision Making and Appeals Case Recorder (DMACR) for Working Age benefits.Appeals Tracking System for Child Maintenance Group The above data sources are Departmental performance management, data capture and reporting tools. This type of internal management information does not form part of the official statistics outputs that are released by the Department in accordance with the UK Statistics Authority’s Code of Practice.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will meet the hon. Member for Glasgow East and a delegation from WASPI Glasgow and Lanarkshire to discuss changes to the state pension age for women born in the 1950s.

Guy Opperman: There are no plans to meet with representatives of the Women Against State Pension Inequality campaign. This matter has been comprehensively debated on many occasions in Parliament. The Government will not be making changes to its policy on state pension age for women born in the 1950s.

Jobcentres: Glasgow

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many full-time equivalent staff are currently employed at Shettleston jobcentre in Glasgow.

Caroline Dinenage: The number of full-time equivalent staff currently employed at Shettleston jobcentre in Glasgow is 32.52.

Jobcentres: Glasgow

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many full-time equivalent staff are currently employed at Parkhead jobcentre in Glasgow.

Caroline Dinenage: The number of full-time equivalent staff currently employed at Parkhead jobcentre in Glasgow is 28.94.

Pensioners: Rents

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of how many people above state pension age will no longer have their full rent covered by support for housing costs from 1 April 2019.

Caroline Dinenage: No estimate has been made of this as it is not possible to know how many people above state pension age would be affected from 1 April 2019.

BAE Systems: Redundancy

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff are employed in his Department's Rapid Response Team set up to assist BAE Systems employees affected by recent job losses; in which regions those staff are based; and how many BAE Systems staff potentially affected by job losses have been contacted by a member of that Rapid Response team.

Caroline Dinenage: Jobcentre staff are in contact with BAE Systems and stand ready to offer support once the consultation period ends and a decision on redundancies has been made.Each of our Jobcentre Districts deploy resources to assist with Redundancy Support which varies according to the situation and the requirements of the workforce.The Rapid Response Service is delivered in partnership with a range of national and local partners, including National Careers Service and local service providers. Working closely with BAE Systems we will agree and provide a tailored package which could include:matching to known local job vacancies;helping to construct or improve their CV and enhance their job-search skills;providing general information about benefits and how to make a claim;identifying transferable skills and training needs;providing job-focussed training to develop vocational skills in demand in the local labour market;help to meet discretionary costs e.g.: travel to training course expenseswhere there is scope to do so, support might be delivered on a group basis, for example by bringing redundant workers and employers together at a jobs fair.Working with Talent Retention Solution (TRS) to bring together specialists whose jobs may be at risk with companies that are looking to recruit skilled staff

Department for Work and Pensions: Telephone Services

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will provide hon. Members with a direct telephone contact number for benefit centres in their and neighbouring constituencies.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) uses a virtual telephone network which will route the call to the most appropriate agent available with required skills to support the caller. As a result we are not able to issue direct contact numbers for benefit centres.   DWP telephone numbers are signposted to customers for the services that they wish to access and this signposting will be refreshed as the recently announced move to Freephone numbers progresses.

Employment and Support Allowance: Mental Illness

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will review the employment and support allowance assessment criteria to tackle the difficulties faced by applicants suffering with mental health problems including anxiety and depression.

Penny Mordaunt: We are committed to ensuring that the WCA assesses people fairly and accurately, which is why we keep our processes under review. Since ESA was introduced, we have made a number of changes to strengthen the assessment process for people with mental health conditions. We took forward a number of recommendations from Professor Harrington and Dr Litchfield who independently reviewed the WCA, including redesigning the ESA50 claimant questionnaire to make it clear that evidence from healthcare professionals and advocates is particularly valuable in mental health cases.More information regarding these independent reviews can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/work-capability-assessment-independent-review-year-1

Jobcentres: Wales

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the number of (a) job centres and (b) full-time permanent job centre employees there were in Wales in each year since 2010.

Caroline Dinenage: The table below gives details of the total number of Departmental sites in Wales along with the full time equivalent staff numbers for the period for which we maintain records.   This includes Contact Centres, Debt Centres, Pensions Centres and Benefit Centres.   It is not possible to strip out the numbers of buildings or staff solely involved in JCP front of house duties.   Year No of Sites FTE 2017 75 3994 2016 75 3816 2015 77 3363 2014 78 3087 2013 77 3184 2012 76 3288

Jobcentres: Glasgow

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many full-time equivalent staff are currently employed at Easterhouse jobcentre in Glasgow.

Caroline Dinenage: As at 31st July 2017 the number of full-time equivalent staff currently employed at Easterhouse jobcentre in Glasgow is 17.14.

Jobcentres: Glasgow

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many full-time equivalent staff his Department employs at Bridgeton Jobcentre in Glasgow.

Caroline Dinenage: As at 31st July 2017 the number of full-time equivalent staff currently employed at Bridgeton Jobcentre in Glasgow is 41.93.

Department for Work and Pensions: Procurement

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many companies supplying goods and services to his Department, or contracted to deliver services on behalf of his Department, have been identified as avoiding their tax liabilities in the UK.

Caroline Dinenage: In line with the requirements of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 DWP uses a range of selection and exclusion criteria to avoid awarding contracts to unsuitable suppliers.The mandatory exclusion criteria includes any supplier convicted of the common law offence of "cheating the Revenue" and/or "fraudulent evasion". Suppliers with a relevant conviction are excluded from the competition.Suppliers will also be excluded where the Department has evidence of a breach of obligations relating to the payment of taxes or social security contributions which has been established by a judicial or administrative decision in accordance with UK law.The discretionary exclusion criteria includes the option to exclude a supplier where the Department can demonstrate by appropriate means that a supplier is in breach of obligations relating to the payment of taxes or social security contributions (in lieu of a formal judicial or administrative decision).DWP Standard Terms & Conditions also include provisions that require suppliers to notify the Department of any Occasions of Tax Non-Compliance or any litigation they are involved with that is connected to any Occasion of Tax Non-Compliance.The Department can terminate the contract in the event that the supplier:Has misrepresented Occasions of Tax Non-Compliance in its warranty to the DepartmentFails to notify the Department of an Occasion of Tax Non-ComplianceFails to provide details of acceptable mitigation of an Occasion of Tax Non-Compliance.The Department does not keep a central record of suppliers who are excluded from procurement competitions due to avoiding or evading tax liabilities. In fact suppliers are encouraged to self-regulate by deselecting themselves from the competition when they become aware of the exclusion criteria.The Department does not keep a central record of suppliers who report Occasions of Tax Non-Compliance during the lifetime of the contract. These are addressed by the contract manager in each case in accordance with the Terms & Conditions of the contract.

Local Housing Allowance

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2017 to Question 106777, if he will carry out an assessment of the effect of the freezing of the rate of local housing allowance on the rate at which housing benefit recipients (a) fall into rent arrears and (b) become homeless.

Caroline Dinenage: There are many factors that contribute to a claimant falling into arrears or becoming homeless. DWP has no plans to carry out such an assessment.

Universal Credit: Warrington North

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in Warrington North constituency are in receipt of universal credit.

Damian Hinds: Our published statistics show that there are 1,800 people in Warrington North in receipt of a Universal Credit payment in June 2017 The information requested is published and available at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk Guidance for users is available at: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html

Disadvantaged

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answer of 1 February 2017 to Question 61821, on children: poverty, when he plans to publish his Department's green paper on social justice.

Caroline Dinenage: This Government is committed to building a country where no one and no community is left behind. This includes taking action to tackle the root causes of child poverty and disadvantage. Improving Lives: Helping Workless Families, published on 4 April, set out a framework for a continued focus on improving children’s outcomes, now and in the future. It set out statutory and non-statutory indicators to track progress in tackling worklessness and other associated disadvantages that can affect families’ and children’s outcomes: parental conflict, parental mental health, parental drug and alcohol dependency, problem debt and homelessness.

Social Security Benefits

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 12 October 2017 to Question 106558, if he will give claimants of benefits other than universal credit the ability to receive their benefits in line with calendar months rather than four week periods.

Guy Opperman: State Pension is the only other benefit where benefit is paid four weekly. Whilst this method of payment is kept under review there are no plans to move to calendar monthly payments.

State Retirement Pensions: British Nationals Abroad

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will set out the criteria by which UK citizens living abroad are eligible for annual increases in the state pension; and if he will publish a list of countries in which people are not eligible for that increase.

Guy Opperman: UK State Pension is paid worldwide to those who satisfy the qualifying conditions, without regard to nationality. However annual increases are restricted to UK pension recipients who are ordinarily resident in Great Britain and in countries overseas where there is a legal requirement to up-rate for example EEA countries and countries and territories where there is a reciprocal agreement that allows for up-rating. A list of countries where up-ratings are paid is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/state-pensions-annual-increases-if-you-live-abroad/countries-where-we-pay-an-annual-increase-in-the-state-pension

State Retirement Pensions: British Nationals Abroad

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what advice the Government gives to people in receipt of the state pension on how long they can spend abroad before their entitlement to the full state pension is reduced; and if he will make a statement.

Guy Opperman: Entitlement to State Pension is not reduced when a pensioner goes abroad. UK State Pension is paid worldwide to those who satisfy the qualifying conditions. However annual increases are restricted to UK pension recipients who are ordinarily resident in Great Britain and in countries overseas where there is a legal requirement to up-rate for example EEA countries and countries and territories where there is a reciprocal agreement that allows for up-rating. Advice on living and claiming abroad is available at https://www.gov.uk/new-state-pension/living-and-working-overseas

State Retirement Pensions: Aberavon

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will meet the hon. Member for Aberavon and a delegation from Aberavon WASPI women to discuss changes to the state pension age for women born in the 1950s.

Guy Opperman: There are no plans to meet with representatives of the Women Against State Pension Inequality campaign.This matter has been comprehensively debated on many occasions in Parliament. The Government will not be making changes to its policy on state pension age for women born in the 1950s.

Personal Independence Payment

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his policy is on reassessing entitlement to personal independence payments for existing claimants with progressive and severe conditions such as motor neurone disease.

Penny Mordaunt: I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 25 July 2017 to Question UIN 5325. 16% of claimants with motor neurone disease currently receive Personal Independence Payment at a rate lower than the maximum available meaning that their award may increase on review.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Pets: Sales

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the single animal activities licensing regime to regulate online sales.

George Eustice: Defra is currently in the process of developing a new single animal activities licensing regime. The regulations will be laid in Parliament before they come into force next year. The regulations will be clear that anyone in the business of selling pet animals will need a licence whether this is carried out from a traditional pet shop or online. Commercial pet animal advertisers will also be required to include certain information in their advertisements including details of their licence.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Government Property Unit

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 12 October 2017 to Question 105820, if he will make public applications made to the Government property unit to extend or renew their lets in each year since 2012 which were granted with conditions attached to them; and what the conditions were in each case.

George Eustice: Save for a standard condition that capital spend is approved separately, the only condition imposed on an application made to the Government Property Unit to acquire additional temporary space, was to agree a long term replacement strategy within a defined period from consent.

Floods: Insurance

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the levels of domestic and business insurance held by those at risk of flooding in each local authority area.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government does not collect information on the levels of domestic and business insurance held by those at risk of flooding in each local authority area. Defra regularly considers the availability of affordable insurance for those at high flood risk. Defra undertook research in 2013 and 2015 and plans to undertake further research in 2018/19. Flood Re was created to promote availability and affordability of insurance for households at high flood risk. In its first year of operation Flood Re has already enabled 130,000 households to access affordable flood insurance. Flood Re is actively monitoring the availability and affordability of insurance within the market on an ongoing basis.

Animal Welfare: Bolton

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many people in Bolton were found guilty of animal cruelty in each of the last three years.

George Eustice: The number of offenders found guilty of offences under Sections 4 to 8 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, in the Greater Manchester Police Force area, from 2014 to 2016, can be viewed in the table below: Offenders found guilty of animal cruelty (1), Greater Manchester Police Force area, 2014 to 2016 (2)(3)Force201420152016Greater Manchester382329of whichBolton Local Justice Area (4)42Nil Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice. 1) Defined as SS4-8 Animal Welfare Act 2006.2) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.4) Separate recording for Bolton Local Justice Area ceased on 31 March 2016, subsequently all force results were recorded as Greater Manchester Local Justice Area.

Food: Production

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to increase food production in the UK in the event that the UK leaves the EU in March 2019 with no agreement; and if he will make a statement.

George Eustice: Global food security is dependent on a number of factors including increasing production sustainably, reducing waste and ensuring open markets around the world to facilitate trade. The UK’s current production to supply ratio is 76% for indigenous-type foods and 60% for all foods. This has remained steady over the last decade and is not low in the context of the last 150 years. Self-sufficiency is not in itself an indicator of food security. The UK sources food from a diverse range of countries, in addition to a strong domestic production base. As our manifesto set out, the Government wants to see an efficient, productive and competitive domestic farming industry able to grow more, sell more and export more of our fantastic British food. As we leave the EU, we have the chance to design a new approach to agricultural policy which supports increased farming productivity through innovation, technology and skills

Phytophthora Ramorum

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the extent of the spread of sudden oak death; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The disease known as ‘sudden oak death’ in the USA, is caused by the pathogen Phytophthora ramorum and has significantly affected North American native oak species. Tests have shown that Britain’s native oaks are not particularly susceptible and the disease has had little impact here on oak. The main host species affected by this disease in Britain are larch, sweet chestnut and rhododendron, and the disease is widespread across Scotland, Wales and south-west England. The Forestry Commission has a management programme in place to slow the spread of this disease and carry out annual surveys to confirm its presence or absence.

Sewage: Rivers

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that water companies set long-term wastewater plans to prevent sewage polluting rivers.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Pollution caused by sewage is mainly addressed through the implementation of the Urban Waste Water Treatment Regulations which set standards for the collection and treatment of sewage. Since privatisation, around £25 billion has been invested to reduce pollution from sewage, covering improvements in sewage treatment and reducing sewer overflows. In England, between 2015 and 2020, water companies are investing over £3 billion to improve their sewerage infrastructure, guided by the requirements of the Environment Agency. The Government’s strategic policy statement to Ofwat, the economic regulator, makes it clear that we expect it to challenge water and sewerage companies to improve planning and investment to meet the wastewater needs of current and future customers and to protect the environment. Ofwat’s draft methodology for the 2019 price review encourages companies to discuss with customers and to bring forward well developed, long-term wastewater plans to support their business plans and steer investment. In addition, the 21st Century Drainage Programme led by the industry body Water UK is working to support the development of resilient and affordable sewerage and drainage systems for the long term.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Council Tax: Arrears

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many people have been in council tax arrears since April 2017; and the total amount of such arrears.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many people who are paying (a) council tax for the first time and (b) higher council tax as a result of the changes to council tax on 1 April 2017 have received a court summons for non-payment to date.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many people were in arrears with their council tax in April (a) 2016 and (b) 2017.

Mr Marcus Jones: The information requested is not held centrally. This is a matter for the relevant local authority.

Families: Disadvantaged

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the budget of the troubled families programme will be for (a) 2017-18, (b) 2018-19 and (c) 2019-2020.

Mr Marcus Jones: The national Troubled Families Programme is driving better ways of working around complex families with multiple high-cost problems - improving outcomes for individuals in those families, reducing their dependency on services, and delivering better value for taxpayers. More than 185,000 of the families who most need help are already being worked with as part of the current programme. Almost 53,000 families have already made significant and sustained progress on all of the problems identified, or reached continuous employment, with 3 years of the programme left to run. The budget for the programme for 2017-18 is £239 million; for 2018-19 £180 million; and for 2019-20 £180 million.

Burglary: Lighting

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential connection between (a) street and (b) ambient lighting and the incidence of burglaries.

Mr Marcus Jones: My Department has made no such assessment. The National Planning Policy Framework sets out the need to create safe and accessible environments where crime and disorder, and the fear of crime, do not undermine quality of life or community cohesion.Planning Practice Guidance provides further advice on how to design out crime and design in community safety and that this should be central to the planning and delivery of new development.The prevention of crime and the enhancement of community safety are matters that a local authority should consider when exercising its planning functions under the Town and Country Planning legislation.

Allotments: Waiting Lists

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of people on a waiting list for an allotment in England in each year since 2013.

Mr Marcus Jones: There are no central government records kept on waiting lists for allotments.

Tenancy Deposit Schemes

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department has taken to establish the role of letting agents in ensuring that landlords comply with their obligation to protect tenants' monies in tenancy deposit schemes.

Alok Sharma: Under the Housing Act 2004 landlords letting their properties under Assured Shorthold Tenancies must protect their tenant’s deposit in one of three government authorised schemes.Landlords who fail to comply with the statutory requirements are liable for a mandatory financial penalty of between one and three times the amount of the deposit, payable to the tenant, on the tenant bringing proceedings to the County Court under section 214 of the Housing Act 2004. Non-compliance also affects Landlords' ability to rely on Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988.The landlord must protect the deposit in one of the schemes within 30 calendar days from the day the deposit is received and must provide the tenant with details (Prescribed Information) of how their deposit has been protected within the same 30 day period.In many cases, the landlord will enter into a contractual arrangement with a letting agent which allows the agent to carry out these duties on the landlord’s behalf. However, it is the landlord who remains responsible for carrying out these statutory obligations.

High Rise Flats: Fire Extinguishers

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many requests his Department has received from (a) local authorities, (b) housing associations and (c) other social housing providers for financial support to fit sprinkler systems in high-rise tower blocks since the Grenfell Tower fire; and what his Department's response was to each of those requests.

Alok Sharma: We have been clear that building owners are responsible for funding fire safety measures, but councils should contact us if they have any concerns about funding fire safety works. Government will consider financial flexibilities for local authorities who need to undertake essential fire safety work to make a building safe.32 local authorities have contacted the Department regarding work to ensure fire safety in tower blocks. We have not rejected any requests for support for essential works to make a building fire safe, and will consider further from local authorities as they provide it.Housing associations that are concerned about their ability to meet these costs should contact the Social Housing Regulator. So far, no housing associations have contacted the Regulator with concerns about their financial viability as a result of having to meet these costs.

Housing: Smoke Alarms

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of (a) privately-rented, (b) social and (c) owner-occupied homes in England which had at least one working smoke alarm in each of the last three years.

Alok Sharma: Each year, the Department’s English Housing Survey collects and publishes information about whether homes have working smoke alarms. The following link gives number and proportion of homes with at least one working smoke alarm, by tenure, for the last three years for which data are available: English Housing Survey 2015-16 Headline Report, Annex Table 2.16, https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/english-housing-survey-2015-to-2016-headline-report

Green Belt

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many hectares of land in England have been (a) declassified and (b) classified as greenbelt in each of the last 20 years.

Alok Sharma: It is for local authorities to consider changes to the Green Belt. Only in exceptional circumstances may a local authority alter its Green Belt, by means of the Local Plan process. Local authorities are expected to report any Green Belt boundary change found to be justified, to inform the Local Authority Green Belt Statistics that we publish annually. From the statistics available for past years, the figures are set out in the table below.YearTotal declassified area (hectares)Total classified area (hectares)2010-1130302011-1213002012-138504602013-1454002014-151,98002015-161,030102016-17790-- = negligible (fewer than five hectares) The figures included in the table are the rounded sum of unrounded values and therefore may not sum to the net changes published in the statistical releases of each year.These figures are based on changes published in each year’s statistical release and do not reflect any subsequent revisions.

Council Tax: Poverty

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effects on the number of (a) households and (b) children living in poverty of changes to council tax in the last 12 months.

Mr Marcus Jones: Local authorities are responsible for setting levels of council tax. Council tax is 9.1 pre cent lower in real terms in 2017-18 than it was in 2010-11.

Department for Communities and Local Government: Brexit

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many officials in his Department are currently working on matters relating to the UK exiting the EU.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Department for Communities and Local Government have staff within the EU Exit Team leading on providing advice to Ministers on EU exit and exit-related issues. Members of staff across the Department also provide advice and analysis on EU Exit issues as required. Given the interactions between EU exit work and the Department's other priorities, it would not be possible to give an exact figure on the number of officials working on matters relating to EU Exit.

Housing: Fires

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent estimate he has made of the average cost to the owner of a domestic dwelling of damage caused by fire in a property that (a) has and (b) does not have a smoke alarm.

Alok Sharma: The Department does not hold this information.

Antisemitism

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) published on anti-Semitism since May 2010.

Mr Marcus Jones: Since May 2010 the Department for Communities and Local Government has supported two pieces of research into antisemitism. In November 2010 we supported the publication of Playing the Nazi by Card by the European Institute for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism (EISCA) which looked at antisemitic discourse. In September 2017 we supported alongside the Community Security Trust the Institute of Jewish Policy Research's (JPR) study entitled Antisemitism in contemporary Great Britain: Key findings from the JPR survey of attitudes towards Jews and Israel which takes an in-depth look at attitudes towards Jews and Israel among the population of Great Britain, both across society as a whole, and in key subgroups within the population, notably the far-left, the far-right, Christians and Muslims..

Non-domestic Rates

James Frith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure small businesses working in separate parts of a building linked by communal staircases, lifts and corridors do not have those spaces classed as separate premises by the Valuation Office when business rates are being assessed.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Government is aware of the change in the Valuation Office Agency’s approach to assessing units within buildings of multiple occupation, following the Supreme Court judgement in the Mazars v Woolway case. The Government is considering the implications of this judgement.

Wales Office

Exports: Middle East

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what proportion of total Welsh exports in (a) goods and (b) services went to the Middle East in 2016.

Alun Cairns: In 2016, 8.5% of all goods exported from Wales went to the Middle East. Figures for service exports are not yet available for 2016. In 2015, 14.2% of all services exported from Wales went to Asia, which is where the Office for National Statistics (ONS) categorises Middle Eastern countries in its service exports release. The ONS does not publish data detailing what percentage of the service exports that are sent to Asia go specifically to the Middle East.

Ports: Wales

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2017 to Question 107429, whether the Government plans to allocate additional funds in financial year 2018-19 to either the (a) Ports Authorities in Wales or (b) Welsh Government to ensure operational readiness at Welsh ports in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a withdrawal agreement.

Alun Cairns: We are confident that a future partnership between the UK and EU is in the interests of both sides, so we approach the negotiations anticipating success. We do not want or expect a no deal outcome. However, a responsible Government should prepare for all potential outcomes, including the unlikely scenario in which no mutually satisfactory agreement can be reached, and that is exactly what we are doing across the whole of government. Plans are well developed and have been designed to provide the flexibility to respond to a negotiated agreement, as well as preparing us for the unlikely eventuality of leaving without a deal. That’s why we are working with businesses across the economy, including ports in Wales, to provide the certainty they need to understand the challenges and opportunities they may face in the coming months and years.

HM Treasury

Income Tax: Tax Allowances

Stephen Lloyd: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the cost to the public purse of raising the income tax allowance to £12,500.

Mel Stride: The cost of raising the income tax Personal Allowance may be approximated using the “Direct effects of illustrative tax changes” table as published at the following address: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/direct-effects-of-illustrative-tax-changes The table shows the cost of a £100 increase and a 10% increase in the Personal Allowance in 2018-19 through to 2020-21. This can be used to scale the proportionate cost to raise the Personal Allowance to £12,500.

Revenue and Customs: Standards

Charlie Elphicke: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the HM Revenue and Customs Group's work programme since its establishment.

Mel Stride: The Chancellor sets out his priorities for HM Revenue and Customs in an annual remit letter to the Permanent Secretaries of the department. The Chancellor receives regular updates from HMRC on their progress against the Chancellor’s priorities and targets set out in his letter.

Revenue and Customs: Disciplinary Proceedings

Chris Stephens: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 24 July 2017 to Question 5961, whether HM Revenue and Customs employees have been disciplined for accessing their own online personal tax account using their work computer.

Mel Stride: HM Revenue and Customs employees are not allowed to access their own personal tax records on HMRC systems. As per the answer provided to Question 5961, this is strictly controlled. Staff are permitted to access their Personal Tax Account on HMRC systems. More information about Personal Tax Accounts and the things people can do through them is available at: https://www.gov.uk/personal-tax-account.

Treasury: Telephone Services

Jim McMahon: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many 0345 telephone numbers are in use by his Department; and how much revenue has been generated by each such telephone number in each year since 2010.

Mel Stride: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has five 0345 numbers, and their specific details can be found on the GOV.UK website. HMRC does not receive any revenue from these numbers.

National Infrastructure Commission

Dr David Drew: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress has been made on the programme of work of the National Infrastructure Commission; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Jones: The National Infrastructure Commission is tasked with providing the government with impartial, expert advice on major long-term infrastructure challenges. The Commission has published six main reports since it was established in October 2015:‘Transport for a World City’, ‘High Speed North’ and ‘Smart Power’ in March 2016‘Cambridge-Milton Keynes-Oxford Corridor Interim Report’ in November 2016‘Connected Future’ in December 2016.‘Congestion, Capacity, Carbon: Priorities for National Infrastructure’, published in October 2017. The Commission’s final report on the Cambridge – Milton Keynes – Oxford corridor and a study on the impact of new technology on infrastructure productivity will be completed this year.The Commission’s first National Infrastructure Assessment, a comprehensive report on the UK’s long-term infrastructure needs with recommendations to government, will be published in 2018. Further details of the Commission’s reports are available on its website: www.nic.org.uk/our-work

Charities

Johnny Mercer: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much funding will be made available for charities in the upcoming round of Libor funding.

Elizabeth Truss: The amount of funding which will be made available in the upcoming round of LIBOR grants, ‘LIBOR 2017’, has yet to be confirmed.

Personal Care Services and Plastic Surgery: VAT

Jo Swinson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the value of VAT receipts from cosmetic surgery and services was in each of the last 10 years.

Mel Stride: HM Revenue and Customs does not hold information on VAT to this level of detail.

PAYE

Stephen Timms: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2017 to Question 107475, on PAYE, if he will make it his policy to collect data on the number of Real Time Information reports which are late, missing and incorrect.

Mel Stride: HM Revenue and Customs is committed to gathering the data it needs to increase the quality and timeliness of RTI submissions.

Beer: Small Businesses

Scott Mann: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will review the operation of the small brewer relief scheme to ensure there are no barriers to growth for small and medium-sized brewers.

Andrew Jones: The government keeps all taxes under review at fiscal events, and we will consider this issue carefully as part of the Autumn Budget process. This government is aware of concerns about Small Brewers Relief, it has invited views on how it can be reformed in a way that the whole sector could support.

Beer: Excise Duties

Alan Brown: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect on beer prices of the 3.9 per cent increase in beer duty announced in the Budget 2017.

Alan Brown: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect on (a) jobs and (b) investment in the Scottish brewing and pubs sector as a result of the 3.9 per cent increase in beer duty announced in the Budget 2017.

Andrew Jones: The Government published its assessment of the impacts of the alcohol duty changes in the Tax Information and Impact Note, which can be found online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/alcohol-duty-rate-changes/alcohol-duty-rate-changes  The Treasury keeps all taxes under review and engages with a wide variety of organisations to understand industry developments, including the beer and pub industry and public health groups.

Cabinet Office

Cybercrime

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress the Government is making on increasing the scale and development of its own capabilities to disrupt the most serious cyber threats as set out in paragraph 5.1.3 of the Government's National Cyber Security Strategy 2016 to 2021.

Caroline Nokes: The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has made significant progress in developingthe government’s ability to disrupt cyber threats. Four Active Cyber Defence services arecurrently live and free at the point of use for the public sector. These provide measures todefeat a significant proportion of commodity attacks that affect UK interests. Next year theNCSC will be scaling these services and developing models to make them more widelyavailable to public and private sector organisations.

Government Departments: Buildings

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to make an assessment of the effect of relocating staff to regional hubs on (a) staff turnover and (b) available expertise.

Caroline Nokes: Workforce planning is primarily the responsibility of each department to determine basedon their individual operational and policy requirements. Each department has their ownspending agreements with HM Treasury and are responsible for ensuring they have theright workforce and capability in place to deliver their commitments. It will be for eachdepartment to monitor recruitment and turnover within the regional hubsPlans are in place for the creation of multi-departmental government Hubs in strategiclocations outside London, which will further consolidate our office estate, whilst helping toattract and retain staff by stronger collaboration between departments and enabling staff togrow careers locally.

Electronic Government: Proof of Identity

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many registered users there are of GOV.UK Verify; and how many such users there were (a) six months and (b) one year ago.

Caroline Nokes: As of 3 September 2017, there are 1,467,097 GOV.UK Verify user accounts. As of 12 February 2017, there were 1,106,845 GOV.UK Verify user accounts. As of 4 September 2016, there were 828,313 GOV.UK Verify user accounts.

Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting

Kate Osamor: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many staff including consultants have been hired across Government Departments for work on the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in April 2018; and what the total cost of those staff is to date.

Caroline Nokes: Holding answer received on 12 October 2017



A cross-Government team of Civil Servants has been set up in the CabinetOffice to deliver the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in April 2018. To date,a total of two staff have been hired as Civil Servants on fixed-term apppointments to jointhe rest of the Cabinet Office team.As is usual for such events, information on costs will be reported after the summit hasconcluded.

Cabinet Office: Redundancy Pay

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much has been paid to (a) men and (b) women who left his Department under exit schemes since 31 March 2016.

Caroline Nokes: Details of the number, type, compensation levels and cost of exits from my Departmentare routinely published in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts. These areavailable on the Cabinet Office website athttps://www.gov.uk/government/collections/cabinet-office- annual-reports- and-accounts .

Cabinet Office: Redundancy

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many (a) men and (b) women have left his Department under exit schemes since 31 March 2016.

Caroline Nokes: Details of exits from my Department are routinely published in the Department’s AnnualReport and Accounts. These are available on the Cabinet Office website athttps://www.gov.uk/government/collections/cabinet-office- annual-reports- and-accounts

Cabinet Office: Disclosure of Information

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he has taken to facilitate whistleblowing in his Department and its arm-length bodies.

Caroline Nokes: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 19 October 2017.The correct answer should have been:

Over the last year a great deal of work has been undertaken in Cabinet Office to ensure allstaff are confident in raising whistleblowing concerns and assured that action will be takenas a result. This includes:A new whistleblowing and raising concerns policy was introduced in July 2016, bringing the department in line with cross government best practice. This policy gives a clear outline of how to raise a whistleblowing concern in the department.6 Nominated Officers have been trained over the last year and are currently in post to support staff and managers with raising whistleblowing concerns as an independent person. 3 additional Nominated Officers are to be trained in the next two months to ensure coverage in larger units as well as those units that may need to approach someone with higher security clearance.A DG whistleblowing champion was put in place in October 20172016.Cabinet Office’s bespoke line manager training course includes a section that covers whistleblowing and how to deal with a whistleblowing concern as a line manager.Cabinet Office took part in the cross government whistleblowing awareness week in October 2016 and whistleblowing awareness day in September 2017.A new ‘Speak Up’ campaign was launched in April 2017 aimed at encouraging staff to raise all types of concerns. This campaign was refreshed in September 2017.The Civil Service Commission attended a recent all staff diversity event to raise awareness of their part in hearing whistleblowing concerns under the Civil Service code.Data is regularly collected and reviewed on numbers and types of concerns raised to inform continuous action and communications.Further communications are planned throughout the year to ensure on-going awareness of the ways individuals can raise whistleblowing concerns.

Caroline Nokes: Over the last year a great deal of work has been undertaken in Cabinet Office to ensure allstaff are confident in raising whistleblowing concerns and assured that action will be takenas a result. This includes:A new whistleblowing and raising concerns policy was introduced in July 2016, bringing the department in line with cross government best practice. This policy gives a clear outline of how to raise a whistleblowing concern in the department.6 Nominated Officers have been trained over the last year and are currently in post to support staff and managers with raising whistleblowing concerns as an independent person. 3 additional Nominated Officers are to be trained in the next two months to ensure coverage in larger units as well as those units that may need to approach someone with higher security clearance.A DG whistleblowing champion was put in place in October 20172016.Cabinet Office’s bespoke line manager training course includes a section that covers whistleblowing and how to deal with a whistleblowing concern as a line manager.Cabinet Office took part in the cross government whistleblowing awareness week in October 2016 and whistleblowing awareness day in September 2017.A new ‘Speak Up’ campaign was launched in April 2017 aimed at encouraging staff to raise all types of concerns. This campaign was refreshed in September 2017.The Civil Service Commission attended a recent all staff diversity event to raise awareness of their part in hearing whistleblowing concerns under the Civil Service code.Data is regularly collected and reviewed on numbers and types of concerns raised to inform continuous action and communications.Further communications are planned throughout the year to ensure on-going awareness of the ways individuals can raise whistleblowing concerns.

Government Departments: Buildings

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 4 September 2017 to Question 8205, on Government Departments: buildings, what the total cost to the public purse is of the move to 10 South Colonade; and what estimate he has made of savings in property costs of that move in each of the next 10 years.

Caroline Nokes: 10 South Colonnade enables government departments to exit a number of expensiveleaseholds in Whitehall. It brings staff from departments together in a single, modern, andefficient building in an area with lower rents to facilitate a collaborative Civil ServiceOnce all government occupiers have relocated to HM Government 10 South Colonnade,we expect to make savings of around £20 million per annum until the end of the lease in2032.

Candidates: Disclosure of Information

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will bring forward proposals to extend the option for candidates to restrict publication of their home address to all polls.

Chris Skidmore: I refer the honourable member to the answer given on 18th October 2017 to PQ7722.

Civil Servants: Recruitment

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2017 to Question 7591, on civil servants: recruitment, which Government Departments are included in the pilots; when those pilots are expected to be completed; and whether the outcomes of those pilots will be published.

Caroline Nokes: The Civil Service Workforce Plan 2016-2020 includes an action to pilot alternative tocompetency-based recruitment and promotion in the Civil Service. A number ofdepartments are involved in piloting alternative approaches. These are: Department forWork and Pensions; HM Revenue and Customs; Office for National Statistics; Departmentfor Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; and Department for Transport. In addition,alternatives to competency-based recruitment are being trialled in some Senior Leaderrecruitment, some apprenticeships, the Civil Service Fast Stream and Fast Track schemesand some talent schemes. These pilots are ongoing, and will be evaluated and, whereappropriate, rolled out across the Civil Service. The outcomes will not be published.

Elections: Disclosure of Information

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will remove the requirement for election agents' home addresses to be published.

Chris Skidmore: The Government recognises the concerns surrounding the inclusion of home addresses on electoral documents which are published and we will consider this whilst looking at issues in relation to publication of the home addresses of candidates.

Candidates: Expenditure

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will review the process of recording candidates' expenses including the consideration of the return to, and subsequent reporting of, expenses to returning officers and the possible provision of online reporting and inspection mechanisms.

Chris Skidmore: The Government is clear that spending by candidates at elections should continue to be transparent. We will discuss with returning officers and the Electoral Commission how processes relating to the return and publication of spending returns could be improved. The development of online reporting and inspection is likely incur substantial cost as an online platform would need to be developed, established and maintained.

Public Sector: Complaints

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to introduce a formal complaints system as recommended by the Law Commission to provide for a clearer and local system of accountability and challenge.

Chris Skidmore: The Government, in its response to the Sir Eric Pickle’s review of electoral law, agreed with this recommendation. We will continue to work with the Law Commissions and other organisations such as the Electoral Commission on how best to implement the recommendations set out in their review.

Civil Servants: Recruitment

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2017 to Question 7037, on Civil Service recruitment, what positive impacts can be measured thus far of the impact of anonymised recruitment.

Caroline Nokes: The Civil Service Diversity & Inclusion Strategy, published on the 16th October, sets outhow the Civil Service will approach becoming the most inclusive employer in the UK by2020We are committed to making anonymised recruitment the norm in the Civil Service, andthis approach sits within a wider suite of initiatives focussed on how this goal can beachieved through innovative recruitment practices. Although, it is not possible todisaggregate the impact of anonymised recruitments in isolation.Alongside implementing the Civil Service Diversity & Inclusion Strategy, we will publishguidance and advice of the best evidenced interventions that can lead to a more diverseand inclusive workforce. We will also measure the impact of improved recruitmenttechniques and publish this data via an online Diversity Data Dashboard by April2018.workforce. We will consider how we will measure the impact of improved recruitmenttechniques within that work.

Government Property Unit

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2017 to Question 8258, on the Government Property Unit, what the budget is for staff learning and development; and if he will provide details on what that budget has been used for to date.

Caroline Nokes: GPU staff have an allocation of £964 per head for training in the current financial year. Todate, staff have used an average of £340 per head on training and developmentExamples of the training undertaken include APM project management, and RICS trainingcourses.

List of Ministerial Responsibilities

Lyn Brown: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans he has to update his Office's publication entitled List of Ministerial Responsibilities.

Chris Skidmore: The updated List of Ministerial Responsibilities is now available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-ministers- and-responsibilities on GOV.UK.

Government Property Unit: Secondment

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2017 to Question 8714, on Government Property Unit: staff, from which firm the one employee seconded from outside Government was; and to where the four government secondees went outside Government.

Caroline Nokes: It is normal practice to review the release of specific information that may risk the identification of individual employees. In my Department, information that involves five or fewer individuals is the threshold at which its release is reviewed. As the individuals involved here are/were not senior staff in my Department, we respectfully decline this request for more detailed information.

Government Departments: Food

Marion Fellows: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much of the food and drink purchased by (a) the Government and (b) its departments and agencies is sourced from Scotland.

Caroline Nokes: The Government is committed to boosting support for a vibrant and competitive UK foodand farming sector. Our policy, as set out in the Government Buying Standards for Foodand Catering Services and PPN10/14 – the Plan for Public Procurement of Food andCatering Services, is to source food and drink responsibly.Information on the country of origin of food and drink purchases is not held centrally.

Government Property Unit: Staff

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 12 October to Question 105943, from which organisation that member of staff has been seconded from; and for what time period that staff member has been seconded.

Caroline Nokes: It is normal practice to review the release of specific information that may risk the identification of individual employees. In my Department, information that involves five or fewer individuals is the threshold at which its release is reviewed. As the individual involved is not senior staff in my Department, we respectfully decline this request for more detailed information

Government Chief Scientific Adviser

Layla Moran: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to appoint a permanent Government Chief Scientific Advisor.

Caroline Nokes: The appointment of the former Government Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Mark Walport as designateChief Executive of UK Research & Innovation was announced in February 2017. An externalcompetition to appoint his successor was launched in the same month and was overseen by theFirst Civil Service CommissionerThe competition has concluded and the Cabinet Office is finalising the appointment details with thesuccessful candidate before an announcement can be made. The Cabinet Secretary will be in aposition to announce details of the appointment shortly. In the meantime, Professor Chris Whittyhas taken on the role of interim Government Chief Scientific Advisor.

Electoral Register: Homelessness

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that homeless people are (a) registered to vote and (b) participate in elections; and what assessment he has made of the effect on registration levels of the requirement for electors without a fixed address to print a local connection form to register to vote.

Chris Skidmore: As part of my “Every Voice Matters” tour, I visited every nation and region of the United Kingdom to hear about the barriers that prevent some groups – including homeless people – from participating in the democratic system. For example, when I went to Cambridge, I met with homelessness organisations and their clients to hear how the electoral registration system could better respond to their needs. We will continue to work with homelessness charities, such as Shelter and Crisis, to overcome these barriers and help those with no fixed address to register to vote. These organisations and others already work to make sure that the paperwork required to register without a fixed address can be readily accessed.

Public Sector: Cybercrime

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which agencies have been notified by Deloitte that their data may have been compromised following a cyber attack.

Caroline Nokes: Deloitte notified the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) to a cyber incident affecting their USoperations in September 2017.Based on current information, there is no indication of impact to the UK branch of the organisation,which operates a separate infrastructure to their American counterparts. The NCSC are workingwith partners to better understand the threat and identify any mitigation measures.

Intelligence and Security Committee: Public Appointments

Clive Lewis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the timetable is for the appointment of members of the Intelligence and Security Committee.

Damian Green: The Prime Minister is in the process of making nominations to the Intelligence and SecurityCommittee. Members will have an opportunity to approve the nominations when themotion to appoint is brought before this House. I expect that motion to be brought beforethis House shortly.

Prosperity Fund

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he has taken to ensure that spending from the Prosperity Fund takes place across Government in accordance with (a) the provisions of the International Development Act 2002 and (b) international commitments on overseas development assistance.

Damian Green: The Prosperity Fund is focused on high impact projects to promote economicdevelopment and poverty reduction in the developing world. All Official DevelopmentAssistance spend under the cross-government Prosperity Fund (PF) is fullyconsistent with the International Development Act (including the Gender Equality2014) and OECD DAC criteria. The Fund’s priorities were set out in the UK AidStrategy (2015) and the Strategic Defence Security Review (SDSR 2015). The Fundalso supports the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG8 to “Promote inclusive and sustainable growth, employment and decent work for all”.

Employment: East Ham

Stephen Timms: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of the working population of East Ham constituency is employed in the (a) public and (b) private sector.

Chris Skidmore: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA response
(PDF Document, 142.17 KB)

Government Communication Service: Visits Abroad

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many trips have been taken by GCS staff to (a) Georgia, (b) Montenegro and (c) Ukraine since September 2015; and what the average cost to the public purse was of each such trip.

Caroline Nokes: Since its inception in September 2015, the GCS Knowledge & Capability Unit has made 21trips to Ukraine on official business. The average cost per trip has been £917.Since its inception in September 2015, the GCS Knowledge & Capability Unit has made 10trips to Georgia on official business. The average cost per trip has been £974.Since its inception in September 2015, the GCS Knowledge & Capability Unit has made 3trips to Montenegro on official business. The average cost per trip has been £462.

Personal Income

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the difference in net income between January 2007 and January 2017 is for a family with two parents in full-time work on average earnings with two children of primary school age.

Chris Skidmore: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA response
(PDF Document, 63.07 KB)

Department for International Trade

Bombardier: USA

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 11 October 2017 to Question 106245, if he will place in the Library the minutes of meetings he or his Department's officials attended in July 2017 with counterparts in the US Administration and the Canadian Government on the Bombardier-Boeing dispute.

Greg Hands: My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade and UK Government officials were in close and frequent contact with their American and Canadian counterparts during July 2017. The commercially sensitive nature of these discussions means that we are unable to release the minutes requested.

Bombardier: USA

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 15 September 2017 to Question 9154, if he will publish details of (a) US Administration staff, (b) business representatives and (c) others with whom (i) he and (ii) his Departmental staff had meetings to discuss the Bombardier-Boeing dispute during his visit to the US in July 2017.

Greg Hands: During my Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade’s visit to the US in July 2017 numerous discussions were held with the Canadian and the US Administration and with business representatives in regards to the Bombardier-Boeing dispute. We are extremely disappointed at the preliminary ruling but we are working closely with the Canadian government to bring Boeing into constructive discussions. Due to the confidential nature of these meetings and commercial sensitivity, we are unable to provide further details.

Trade Agreements

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, which key targets for UK exports he has identified as a priority for future trade negotiations; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Hands: We are considering in depth our future trading relationships with a broad range of partners as we prepare to leave the EU. As set out in the Government’s Trade White Paper ’Preparing for our future UK trade policy’ the UK will look to secure greater access to overseas markets for UK goods exports as well as push for greater liberalisation of global services, investment and procurement markets.

China: Iron and Steel

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of EU Regulation 2017/1480 on UK employment levels and job security.

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many meetings Ministers and officials of his Department had with small specialist businesses who import Chinese steel prior to EU Regulation 2017/1480 coming into force on anti-dumping duty on imports of certain cast iron articles.

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many meetings Ministers and officials of his Department have had with British producers on EU Regulation 2017/1480 on anti-dumping duty on imports of certain cast iron articles.

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many organisations his Department (a) received representations from and (b) met with on EU Regulation 2017/1480.

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what estimate he has made of the number of businesses which will be affected by an increase in the cast iron articles tariff as a result of EU regulations on anti-dumping duty on imports of certain cast iron articles.

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether his Department has received representations from companies which may be adversely affected by EU Regulation 2017/1480 on anti-dumping duty on imports of carbon cast iron articles.

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment he has made of the effect of EU Regulation 2017/1480 on imports of cast iron articles on companies which use cast iron.

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what representations officials of his Department have made to the European Commission on tariffs on cast iron articles as set out in per EU Regulation 2017/1480.

Greg Hands: In relation to EU Regulation 2017/1480 imposing anti-dumping duties on certain types of cast iron products, officials have received representations from three importers, of which they have met two, as well as representations from one group of European producers, which includes one UK producer.In terms of analysing the effect of these regulations, the UK government examines all trade defence cases carefully and judges each on its own merits. This is based on an economic evaluation of the evidence presented in the European Commission’s draft regulation sent to Member States with any proposal for measures, together with information received from interested parties, including producers, importers and users of the product.The Commission’s anti-dumping investigation concerning imports of cast iron articles from China and India is ongoing, and yet to make its final proposals. Officials have not made representations to the Commission at this stage in the investigation.This is one of several trade defence measures which are being applied by the EU which affect UK industry. The Government is looking into the detail of UK trade remedies policy as a whole as we leave the EU. The Government is seeking to maintain continuity for businesses as we exit from the EU. We invite responses to the consultations launched as part of the Department’s recently published White Paper: ‘Preparing for our future UK trade policy’.

Retail Trade

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what discussions he has had with representatives of the UK retail sector on the potential implications for that sector of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Mark Garnier: A responsible government should prepare for all potential outcomes, including the unlikely scenario in which no mutually satisfactory agreement can be reached. Officials from my Department engage regularly with the UK retail sector to understand their trade and investment interests while we are a member of the EU and after we leave the EU.

Exports: EU Countries

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the number of small and medium-sized enterprises who export goods to other EU countries but have no experience of customs documentation or procedures for trading with countries outside the customs union.

Mark Garnier: HM Revenue and Customs data shows in 2015 c.107,000 UK VAT-registered small and medium-sized enterprises (0-249 employees) exported goods to the EU.There is no published breakdown on the same basis of the number of UK VAT-registered businesses which exported goods to the EU only, broken down by size of business.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Gaming Machines: Coventry South

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will estimate the total spend each year on fixed-odds betting terminals in Coventry South constituency.

Tracey Crouch: Neither the Department nor the Gambling Commission hold information concerning the number of Fixed-Odds Betting Terminals and, therefore spend, on Fixed-Odds Betting Terminals in individual constituencies.

Lotteries

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will respond to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee report, on Societies' Lotteries, published on 25 March 2015, HC 615, before the November 2017 Parliamentary recess.

Tracey Crouch: The Government’s response to the CMS Select Committee’s report on society lotteries advised that it intended to explore all the recommendations further, with advice from the Gambling Commission. The response was published in September 2015 and can be found here: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201516/cmselect/cmcumeds/415/415.pdf We are carefully considering the issues raised by the Select Committee and continue to take advice from the Gambling Commission as we consider policy options.

Tourism: Security

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Government is represented on the Tourism Industry Emergency Response Group.

John Glen: The government is represented by officials from DCMS at the Tourism Industry Emergency Response Group.

Food: Advertising

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will take steps to work with broadcasting regulators to prevent advertisements for high-sugar food and drinks products being shown on television before the 9pm watershed.

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to ensure that advertisements for junk food are not allowed to be broadcast on television before 9pm.

Matt Hancock: I refer the hon member to my answer to PQ 108086.

House of Commons Commission

Parliament: Food and Drinks

Marion Fellows: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, how much of the food and drink purchased by the (a) House of Commons and (b) UK Parliament is sourced from Scotland.

Tom Brake: All individual products purchased in a specific delivery are fully traceable to source but the House Service does not hold aggregated the information in respect of sourcing from individual parts of the UK, and it could only be assembled at disproportionate cost.The House Service sources products that meet UK or equivalent standards of production and which are produced with higher environmental standards where possible. In the last financial year, spend on food and drinks in the House of Commons was £3,188,504 and Commons and Lords combined was £4,604,216. Products included in this spend come from various parts of the UK, including Scotland, and additionally from overseas.The House Service would welcome more suppliers from Scotland expressing an interest in offering their products through our procurement portal.

Northern Ireland Office

Parades Commission: Membership

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps he is taking to ensure the composition of the Parades Commission reflects Northern Ireland society.

Chloe Smith: All appointments to the Parades Commission for Northern Ireland are regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments and are made following an open and transparent process in line with the Government’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. A central tenet of the public appointments process is that applications are encouraged from all sections of Northern Ireland society.

Department of Health

In Vitro Fertilisation

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many human eggs, which have been frozen, have (a) thawed and (b) been fertilised; how many of those eggs have (i) developed into embryos and (ii) been transferred to a recipient; and how many of such eggs which were transferred to a uterus, resulted in (A) live births and (B) early pregnancy losses or stillbirths in each year since 2015.

Mr Philip Dunne: The information requested is shown in the attached table. 



PQ107674 attached table
(Word Document, 14.69 KB)

Fertility: Drugs

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the (a) Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority and (b) Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency are taking to collect information on the drugs and dosages used in treating women with fertility drugs.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority does not collect information on the fertility drugs and dosages used in the treatment of women. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) continuously monitors the safety of all medicines on the United Kingdom market and takes regulatory action as necessary when safety issues are identified. The Yellow Card Scheme is the UK system for collecting and monitoring information on suspected adverse drug reactions (ADRs) experienced post marketing. The scheme is run by the MHRA on behalf of the Commission on Human Medicines and it relies on the voluntary reporting of suspected ADRs by health professionals and patients. There is also a legal obligation for pharmaceutical companies to report serious side effects for their products. The scheme collects reports of suspected ADRs from across the whole UK and includes all medicines.

Abortion

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many abortions (a) Marie Stopes International and (b) the British Pregnancy Advisory Service have carried out in each year since 2011.

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many abortion-related complications have occurred at clinics run by (a) the British Pregnancy Advisory Service and (b) Marie Stopes International in each year since 2015.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The information requested is set out in the following tables: Number of abortions by provider for England and Wales residents: 2011 to 2016  British Pregnancy Advisory ServiceMarie Stopes International201153,02854,1052012 155,52254,982201355,26157,542201456,84757,633201557,69960,670201660,89659,685Note:1 Figures for 2012 have been estimated, due to missing clinic information.  Number of abortions with complications by provider for England and Wales residents: 2015 to 2016  Number of procedures with a complication1 20152016British Pregnancy Advisory Service22Marie Stopes International415Note:1 Complications include: haemorrhage, uterine perforation and/or sepsis and are those reported up to the time of discharge from the place of termination.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to monitor the progress of children conceived through the fertilisation of frozen oocytes for (a) epigenetic and (b) deleterious effects.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Government has no plans to introduce routine health follow-up of children born as a result of the use of frozen oocytes in fertility treatment. To date, there has not been any evidence that pregnancies resulting from assisted reproduction technologies are less safe than natural pregnancies or that there are any adverse health effects for children conceived through assisted reproduction.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many human eggs were frozen by HFEA-registered fertility clinics in each of the last 12 months.

Mr Philip Dunne: The information requested is shown in the following table:Year/monthTotal eggs stored2015 - July1,3052015 - August1,2882015 - September1,1772015 - October1,5532015 - November1,3772015 - December9182016 - January1,3172016 - February1,4042016 - March1,1242016 - April1,3132016 - May1,2412016 - June1,513 Note: The table provides the number of eggs frozen for storage or donation in the last 12 months for which the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) holds verified data. Source: The HFEA

In Vitro Fertilisation

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many eggs have been used in research to enable (a) pro-nuclear transfer and (b) maternal spindle transfer in each of the last five years.

Mr Philip Dunne: The information requested is shown in the following table:YearTotal embryos20121,3482013341201444920155502016243Source: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) The HFEA has advised that there is only one clinic in the United Kingdom licenced to conduct a research project undertaking pro-nuclear transfer, which involves the use of embryos, and no clinics are licenced to undertake a research project involving maternal spindle transfer, which involves the use of eggs. The HFEA holds information on the number of embryos used for research in pro-nuclear transfer.

Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many incidents involving ovarian hyper stimulation syndrome were recorded in licensed HFEA clinics in each year since 2011; and what the severity grading was of each such incident.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has advised that it only requires clinics to report cases of severe or critical ovarian hyper stimulation syndrome. There were no Grade A (critical) incidents reported in this time period.Grade201120122013201420152016B563343406038

Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many non-patient donors who had ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome were categorised as grade (a) A and (b) B in each year for which information is available.

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many non-patient egg donors were admitted to hospital for ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome in each year for which figures are available.

Mr Philip Dunne: This information is not collected. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has advised that it does not require licensed fertility clinics to differentiate between patient or non-patient donor incidents.

Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the level of data his Department has collected on ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome has been in each year since 2010.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that since 2010, it has required licensed clinics, under the HFEA’s Code of Practice, General Directions 0011, to report all adverse incidents, which includes severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome.

Respiratory System: Accident and Emergency Departments

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients were admitted via accident and emergency departments with a primary diagnosis of a respiratory condition in each month of the (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13, (d) 2013-14, (e) 2014-15, (f) 2015-16 and (g) 2016-17 financial years.

Mr Philip Dunne: The table below provides a count of unplanned accident and emergency (A&E) department attendances1 resulting in admission2 and a primary diagnosis of respiratory condition3 in each month for the financial years between 2010-11 and 2016-17. This is a count of hospital attendences resulting in admissions, not individual patients as the same person may have been admitted into an National Health Service hospital on more than one occasion. Month2010-112011-122012-132013-142014-152015-162016-17April16,16317,20519,65021,66820,44721,02822,498May16,40216,40519,67519,38319,89820,46723,072June13,65515,16018,39317,04717,54718,66821,420July13,05414,50420,85216,30816,69117,99221,893August13,22013,86215,29114,38615,23117,53016,818September16,99115,91318,96719,11618,18721,65020,628October19,24418,12621,47820,84020,08723,73824,561November18,50719,69622,30621,78422,63825,82726,199December26,75524,58327,82628,25332,43628,92832,493January21,68021,80524,08524,14326,62029,02730,731February16,71921,21221,29120,86520,69325,75823,953March18,25720,82624,34921,81721,94228,02323,523Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS Digital Notes: 1The following attendance category codes identify unplanned A&E attendances:1 = First A&E attendance3 = Follow-up A&E attendance – unplanned9 = Not known201 = Admitted to hospital bed / become a lodged patient of the same health care provider.3It should be noted that the recording of the diagnosis field within the A&E data set is not mandatory. It is not known to what extent changes over time are as a result of improvements in recording practice25 = Respiratory conditions

Hearing Impairment: Visual Impairment

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to respond to the recommendations on patient-led assessments of core environments relating to people who are hearing or sight-impaired of the Action Plan on Hearing Loss, published on 23 March 2015.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS England is actively involving patients in assessing healthcare providers’ performance against a range of criteria and identifying how services may be improved for the future. The Patient-Led Assessments of the Care Environment (PLACE) programme focuses on the areas which patients say matter in the non-clinical environment which impact on the patient experience of care: cleanliness; the condition, appearance and maintenance of healthcare premises; the extent to which the environment supports the delivery of care with privacy and dignity; and the quality and availability of food and drink. NHS England is developing the PLACE assessments for future years to make the assessments more patient-led by adjusting the balance between patient assessors and staff assessors. In addition, questions will be developed within PLACE to focus on the needs of people with hearing and/or sight loss. This will allow the National Health Service to capture whether, where and how the experience of care is poorer for people who are hearing and/or sight impaired, and if scores for this group are poor, principles of good practice will be identified to help organisations improve.

Blood: Contamination

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to his Department's consultation response entitled Infected Blood Support: Special Category Mechanism, published on 28 September 2017, whether the additional funding for increases in non-discretionary payments in 2018-19 will come from (a) within or (b) outside the ex-gratia scheme.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The funding for non-discretionary payments for 2018-19 comes from within the departmental budget.

NHS: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many sites in and around Warrington are owned by the NHS; and where those such sites are situated.

Mr Philip Dunne: The complete information relating to all sites owned by the National Health Service in and around Warrington is not held centrally.

Hospitals: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which locations were proposed for a new hospital in Warrington during his recent visit to that constituency.

Mr Philip Dunne: There were no such discussions during my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State’s recent visit to Warrington Hospital.

Blood: Contamination

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to Annex A, Section B of his Department's consultation response to Infected blood support: special category mechanism, published on 6 March 2017, for what reasons Section B can only be completed by a hospital doctor or viral hepatitis nurse; and if he will make it his policy that general practitioners with knowledge of a patient's mental health are also able to complete Section B.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Paragraph 3.8 of the Department Infected blood: Government Response to Consultation on Special Category Mechanism and other support in England, published 28 September 2017 states: “We have also listened to concerns respondents had regarding the need for a medical expert to assist with the application process. As we outlined in the consultation, the expectation is that the required medical evidence to support the application will be provided by a hospital consultant or viral hepatitis nurse as they are likely to have a detailed understanding of the individual’s condition. However we understand that in some cases a GP will be best placed to provide this evidence, such as when the individual is not in regular contact with a consultant or hepatitis nurse.” This is reiterated in the foot note to the guidance notes contained in Annex A and the applicant may also contact the scheme administrator for further advice. This makes it clear that general practitioners can complete section B.

Urological Cancer: Screening

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of canine olfactory detection of human urological cancer in each of the last three years.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The use of medical detection dogs for detecting human urological cancer is currently at the research stage. For example the Department’s National Institute for Health Research Clinical Research Network is supporting the delivery of a trial at Milton Keynes Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, funded by Medical Detection Dogs, of the detection by dogs of urological cancer from the odour of human urine.

Nurses: EU Nationals

Sir Vince Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what contingency plans his Department has made for a reduction in the number of EU nationals working as nurses in the NHS as a result of the UK leaving the EU.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Department values highly the enormous contribution of all the nurses working across our health and care sector from across the European Union and the rest of the world. At the end of June 2017, there were 3,193 more non-United Kingdom EU citizens working in the National Health Service than at the end of June 2016. The Prime Minister has been very clear that EU citizens living lawfully in the UK will be allowed to stay. We continue to monitor closely and to analyse overall staffing levels across the NHS and social care, and we’re working across Government to ensure there will continue to be sufficient staff to deliver the high quality service on which patients rely following the UK’s exit from the EU.We are also working hard to improve the domestic supply of nurses to ensure the NHS and social care sector are able to meet current and future nursing workforce demand. We are increasing the number of nurse training places by 25%, introducing new routes into the profession through the Nursing Degree Apprenticeship, and increasing the number of Nursing Associates.

NHS Protect

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what arrangements have been made for (a) issuing NHS Safety Alerts and (b) the notification of Orders since NHS Protect ceased operation.

Mr Philip Dunne: Indiviudal employers in the National Health Service, working with police and other relevant bodies, are responsible for issuing NHS Safety Alerts and notification of Orders.

Health Professions: Crimes of Violence

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, to whom should data for all incidents of violence against healthcare workers be reported in order to facilitate the collection of statistics at a regional and national level.

Mr Philip Dunne: Data on physical assaults against National Health Service staff continues to be collected through the annual NHS Staff Survey, with NHS organisations collecting their own data at a local level. The Government is also making legal changes to ensure those who are violent face the full force of the law.

Health: Research

Johnny Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when the 2014 National Study of Health and Wellbeing data will be made available through the UK data service for secondary research.

Jackie Doyle-Price: A version of the dataset has been transferred to the United Kingdom data service. NHS Digital anticipates it will be made available for researchers to apply for within the month of November 2017, subject to the Independent Group Advising on the Release of Data for NHS Digital recommending approval of the proposed terms and conditions for release. Individual researchers will then need to apply for access to the data and these applications will be reviewed by NHS Digital. NHS Digital has applied additional disclosure control measures to ensure the privacy of individuals is protected while looking to ensure maximum use to be made of these valuable, publicly funded data collections.

Blood: Contamination

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to his Department's consultation response entitled Infected Blood Support: Special Category Mechanism, published on 28 September 2017, if he will ensure that no primary beneficiaries currently receiving ongoing payments will lose ongoing support under the English ex-gratia support scheme when changes in discretionary and non-discretionary ongoing payments are accounted for.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to his Department's consultation response, entitled Infected Blood Support: Special Category Mechanism, published on 28 September 2017, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) bereaved partners or spouses will continue to receive ongoing payments under the new discretionary scheme and (b) those payments will be no smaller than those they currently receive from their respective ex gratia charities.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Discretionary and non-discretionary support will continue at the same level to all beneficiaries who consented to their data being transferred to the new scheme until the end of the financial year. As set out in the recent consultation response, beneficiaries will then receive higher non-discretionary annual payments for the 2018-19 financial year. To ensure discretionary support in the new, single, scheme is balanced, consistent and fair to all beneficiaries, the scheme administrator will conduct a review of all on-going discretionary payments such as income top ups. On-going discretionary payments to the bereaved will recognise the impact that the loss of a partner will have had in both the immediate and longer term and will afford bereaved individuals more time to adjust to their new situation. As proposed in the consultation, we will include winter fuel payments to the types of support available for the bereaved, in addition to all other types of discretionary support. Furthermore, we will include funeral related expenses to the types of support available to the bereaved through the new discretionary scheme. The one-off £10,000 payment to bereaved partners and spouses will also continue to be available. These changes will ensure bereaved spouses or partners continue to be supported.

Department of Health: Libor

Johnny Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department or its agencies have submitted any bids for Libor funding in any of the last five years.

Mr Philip Dunne: Libor funding guidance states that only the following types of organisation are eligible to apply:- a registered charity;- a Community Interest Company; or- an Armed Forces unit with a Unit Identification Number (UIN). Information and guidance about Libor applications can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/libor-funding-applicationsAll successful Libor bids can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/armed-forces-covenant-libor-fund-successful-projectsandhttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/autumn-statement-2016-libor-commitments/autumn-statement-2016-libor-commitments

Blood: Contamination

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to his Department's consultation response, entitled Infected Blood Support: Special Category Mechanism, published on 28 September 2017, if he will make it his policy to ensure that the NHS Business Services Authority has a benefits advisor to help advise those affected on social security issues.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Paragraph 2.11 of the Department consultation response to Infected blood support: special category mechanism, published on 28 September 2017 provided the following undertaking: “The types of support the reformed discretionary scheme may provide in the future are: A range of non-financial support and signposting including: i. NHS, Social Care and wider Welfare System referralsii. Financial management advice and supportiii. Career and education advice and coachingiv. Counselling and emotional support” The NHS Business Services Authority will look to provide advice on social security issues as part of the above package.

Dental Services: Yorkshire

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many dental patients who were fined for not being entitled to free dental care, were subsequently refunded in (a) the Batley and Spen constituency, (b) Kirklees and (c) Yorkshire in each of the last three years.

Steve Brine: The information is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Social Services

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate the Government has made of the number of people who are in receipt of social care.

Jackie Doyle-Price: During 2015/16, 872,000 long term users were in contact with their local authority for adult social care support.

Organs: Donors

Sir Vince Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on UK supplies of donated tissues and cells of the UK leaving the EU without formal agreement on the UK remaining party to Directive 2004/23/EC.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department is working to ensure the best outcome for the health and social care system. All relevant policy areas covered by the Department are involved with this work and assessing the implications of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union.

Blood: Donors

Sir Vince Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on blood supplies in the UK of the UK leaving the EU without formal agreement on the UK remaining party to Directive 2002/98/EC.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department is working to ensure the best outcome for the health and social care system. All relevant policy areas covered by the Department are involved with this work and assessing the implications of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union.